Tackling prolonged displacement: lessons on durable solutions from Fukushima

Policy brief no.1, 2015:

The policy brief draws on lessons learned from the Fukushima earthquake and elaborates on solutions for displaced populations trapped in uncertainty. It provides recommendations regarding: (i) durable solutions which systematically need to be established through ongoing re-examinations of policies, laws and institutions; (ii) social and psychological consequences as a key topic just as (re-)construction of physical infrastructure and environmental remediation; and (iii) displaced people, for them to exercise agency and take ownership of the process.

This policy brief is a result of research conducted for the UNU-IAS Fukushima Global Communication Programme, an initiative examining impacts of the Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident of March 11, 2011 on people and society. The analysis given in the policy paper incorporates findings from interviews and focus group discussions with representatives of local authorities and residents of displaced communities in Fukushima. It also draws on insights from interviews with experts from the UN and other international organisations working in the fields of disaster-induced displacement, humanitarian assistance, disaster risk reduction and recovery.