Planned relocation involves permanently moving people exposed to disasters or climate change impacts to new areas to establish lives and livelihoods. It is usually state-led but can be community-initiated. The guide provides an overview of trends in planned relocation globally and in the Asia Pacific region. It explains why a good practice guide is needed to ensure relocations are done well to protect rights and dignity, and not poorly which can violate rights. The guide then outlines key considerations for national societies to support planned relocation through various stages before, during, and after relocation occurs.

1. Planned Relocation in the Context of Disasters and
Climate Change
A Guide for Asia Pacific National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

2. What is Planned Relocation?
Sometimes called ‘resettlement’ or ‘managed retreat’.
Planned relocation = (a) the re-location (moving) of people + (b) the re-settlement
(lives and livelihoods re-established) of people.
The key characteristic is the intended permanent movement and establishment
elsewhere of persons exposed and vulnerable to the existing or anticipated effects of
disasters or climate change.
Can be community or state initiated, but usually state-led.

3. Trends
E Bower & S Weerasinghe (2021) Leaving Place, Restoring Home. :
https://disasterdisplacement.org/portfolio-item/leaving-place-restoring-home
Study 308 identified cases 1970 – 2020 ( English language sources only)
Features in all inhabited regions of the world.
Many occur in multi-hazard context, but are most frequently associated with floods.
Approximately 25% were ongoing at time of publication.
Most are of a single origin to single destination. Of these:
most involved less than 250 households and movement of a short distance.
Approximately half involved indigenous .
 Duration was typically 1-2 years, but some had been ongoing for decades

4. Planned relocation in the Pacific
• Historically, a significant colonial/ trusteeship element – Banabans to Rabi in 1940s, Bikinians to Kili and Majuro Atolls in
1940s and 1970s.
• Bower &Weeraginghe (2021): 37 out of 302 identified relocations (1970 – 2020) in Pacific.
• Fiji – 15
• PNG – 7
• Solomon Islands – 5
• Vanuatu – 4
• Samoa – 3
• Kiribati – 1
• Wallis and Fortuna – 1
• Australia - 1
• Climate and non-climate related hazards driving planned relocation. Becoming increasingly recognised as a climate
change adaptation measure (e.g Fiji Guidelines).
• Includes community initiated (Nuatambu & Nusa Hope, Solomon Islands) and state-initiated (e.g. Tukuraki, Fiji) relocations.

5. Why a Guide on Planned
Relocation in the Context of
Disasters and Climate Change?
• Planned relocation is already
happening due to disasters and
climate change.
• Some National Societies are
already providing programme
support to national authorities.
• Planned relocation is always hard
to do properly

6. Why a ‘Good Practice’ Guide?
 Save Lives
Protects rights, promotes dignity
Restores sense of place (home)
Done Well
• Violates rights, undermines dignity
• Fragments communities
• Creates conflict
• Contravenes RCRC Movement’s
Fundamental Principles
Done Poorly

7. How does the Guide relate to Strategy 2030?
Strategy 2030: “Our focus over the coming decade will be on
responding to and mitigating the vulnerabilities and
disadvantages resulting from all types of crises and disasters
for all people, especially the most vulnerable, so that they are
able to thrive” (p.8).
The Guide ensures that, where National Societies do get
involved, persons affected by planned relocation thrive.
Strategy 2030 identifies key areas for transformation to enable
the IFRC Network to meet these challenges including: working
as a global network, sharing resources and building collective
intelligence.
The Guide harnesses the knowledge experience and insights
of National Societies and builds on good practice/standards.

8. Planned
relocation
in context:
To provide a durable solution to
existing disaster displacement
As a form of disaster-risk
reduction
As a form of climate change
adaptation

9. PLANNED RELOCATION SUPPORT AFTER A DISASTER HAS HAPPENED
Is a beginning-to-end engagement throughout the displacement cycle.
‘Beginning-to-end’ engagement brings challenges, including:
 It places a premium on advance planning while relief and recovery phase operations continue, and often long before
any person is physically moved.
 It necessitates close communication and coordination across programme sectors and with multiple stakeholders,
both internal and external to the Movement.
 It can place significant pressure on National Society capacity, pressure which will be compounded in the absence of
adequate additional funding to support the long-term programming necessary to facilitate successful planned
relocation.
A careful and realistic assessment of National Society capacity to support planned relocation projects
is required at the outset.

10. Planned Relocation and the Climate Crisis
IPCC AR6, 2021:
 Climate change impacts of past emissions
here to stay for the foreseeable future,
regardless of transition to global economy to
carbon zero = more frequent and intense
climate-related hazards
IFRC Displacement in a Changing Climate, 2021:
• Hazards and displacement already related to
climate hazards already significant across the
globe.
• A ‘new normal’ of overlapping crises and
multiple risks: climate + conflict+ COVID
RELOCATION LIKELY TO BECOME MORE FREQUENT AND MORE
CHALLENGING

11. Planned relocation
in context:
Forms and Types
Can be local (own land, other land), internal (other area/ rural-to-urban),
international
Can involve single or multiple sites of origin and destination✭
✭ Weerasinghe and Bower Leaving Place, Restoring Home (2021)
Local Internal International

12. Planned relocation
in context:
but sometimes:
Can involve only some households within a community choosing or being
offered chance to relocate

13. Persons affected by planned relocation
- Always include the individuals/ families /communities who are
relocating.
- May include:
o host communities.
o people who choose not to relocate.
o people who are indirectly impacted by the relocation:
 people from non-relocating communities situated nearby,
whose livelihoods are disrupted.
 people who face loss of access to essential services which
were located in the relocating community.

14. The Stages of Planned
Relocation
decide to support
planning support
implementation (pending movement)
Before
implementation (movement)
implementation (establishment)
implementation (monitor)
During
evaluation
integrate
After

15. CONSENT AND VOLUNTARINESS
• Planned relocation can interfere with the right to choose where to live. So far as
possible, relocation must be voluntary.
• To be voluntary, relocation must be undertaken with the free, prior and informed
consent of the persons at risk of being moved, and any host community into which
they are to be relocated.
• This requires ensuring affected people:
 have all the necessary information.
 Actively participate in the decision-making process.
Approaching the issue from the perspective of consent enables National Societies to:
 recognise the agency of affected persons in decisions regarding the proposed
relocation.
 better advocate for a process which provides all affected persons with accurate
information and an opportunity to raise questions and grievances, both before
agreeing to take part in any relocation and during the relocation project cycle.
 identify the particular reasons which may cause a person to not agree to being
relocated and begin to help address concerns.

16. Cross cutting
issues to consider
 Participation and Awareness – the need to ensure meaningful
engagement by affected populations throughout the process.
 Needs and Impacts – the need to identify, plan and respond to the
effects of the relocation on affected populations.
 Coordination and Communication – the need to ensure cooperation
and communication with internal and external stakeholders.
 Advocacy – the importance of ensuring that the wishes and needs of
affected populations, and particularly the needs of vulnerable and
disadvantaged groups within those populations, are taken into
account.
 Monitoring and Evaluation – the importance of robust information
gathering and assessments to the integrity and success of the project.
 Transparency and Accountability – the importance of ensuring that
decisions surrounding the planned relocation process are open to
scrutiny and challenge.

17. Stage One:
Before
Relocation
Happens
Deciding to Support
• Understand the context: does planned relocation arise after a disaster? or to reduce disaster risk/adapt to
climate change?
• If post-disaster:
• What is the underlying hazard?
• It is possible planned relocation will arise?
• Does return/remain create an unacceptable risk to life and wellbeing?
• Perform a due diligence assessment. Is the planned relocation, justified, legal and fair?
• Seek advice from IFRC as required (Disaster Law Project, HLP, PGI, CEA)
• Weigh carefully whether/how to support if not satisfied.
• Advocacy can be support. Auxiliary status provides opportunity to engage.
• Be realistic about NS capacity. Consider impacts on staffing, procurement, logistics, M&E.

18. Planning Support
Good planning is central to success.
Plan:
 communication and coordination
 consultation.
 community participation.
 for settlements, not shelter
 Place-based programming
 long-term monitoring and evaluation
Seek appropriate funding
Identify gaps:
in national authority capacity.
in NS capacity.
Identify HLP issues early
Housing – establishing tenure, loss of
tenure.
Land availability and land suitability.
 Map and integrate community assets:
to create ownership of process and
empower
 to rebuild sense of place (home).

19. Implementation (pending movement)
• Communicate and coordinate
• internally/externally to avoid delays/ problems.
• Monitor the process and context.
• Relocation takes time. Things can change.
• Support communities pending movement to relocation site.
• Whether or not your National Society planning to support the
relocation itself
• Relocation is traumatic. There are many uncertainties.
Consider the need for PSS support and CEA activities.
• Seek to support self-resettlement – people who return home after
‘No Build/ Dwelling Zones’ are established by national authorities.
• Seek to support self-determined recovery pathways. People may
have other viable options (e.g with kin) which provide safety and
promote dignity.
•

20. Stage Two:
During Planned Relocation
When people are moved
 Physical movement of people normally by national authorities but must
be carried out in safe and dignified manner. Issues to consider include:
 Are vulnerable people protected while being moved?
 Has culturally significant property been moved?
 Is family unity maintained?
When people are established:
 Establishment may require a lengthy period of time.
 Refer to existing IFRC guidelines for hardware and software support
(Shelter, Livelihoods, WASH, Under One Roof (Disability) etc )
Monitor impacts of hardware/software support against pre-
implementation baseline assessments and adjust as required
 programme objectives are being met.
 programme activities remain relevant to needs.
 unforeseen issues are identified.

21. Stage Three: After
Relocation
Implement monitoring and evaluation plan over the long-term.
Being part of the community means NS have unique position
to engage in long-term monitoring:
of results – effects and impacts.
of beneficiaries – views of project/experience of change.
learn by doing. Integrate new skills, lessons learned into
future programme activities.