Over the past decade, Displacement Solutions has undertaken extensive research aimed at shedding light on the numerous housing, land and property (HLP) rights issues facing the people of Myanmar. Through these efforts DS aims to build the capacity of the people of Myanmar to exercise and enforce their HLP rights. To this end, DS provides practical guidance to citizens and their governments through the development of institutional and policy frameworks, guiding principles and practical steps which seek to reduce, eliminate and redress HLP rights abuses. A new report documents eleven books and reports published by DS on these themes with the intent of informing and aiding the Myanmar government, key ethnic actors, humanitarian organisations and citizens on the importance of HLP rights within Myanmar. The documents outlined here are just a portion of DS' research efforts concerning the country. Many of our other papers and reports on more sensitive themes have intentionally been kept internal by the organisations and institutions for whom they were prepared.  These publications cover topics spanning national policy development on land grabbing and speculation, recommendations for the development of a comprehensive HLP rights framework within Myanmar, the manner in which HLP rights can be addressed during…...

DS is delighted to announce that the second land parcel of our One House, One Family (OHOF) at a time project in Bangladesh has been procured. Our amazing partner YPSA purchased the first parcel last year and coordinated the construction of four new homes that were allocated to four highly vulnerable households that were forced to flee their former coastal homes due to the effects of climate change. The new land parcel is large enough for five new homes and DS has raised one-third of the remaining funds needed for the new homes. We still need USD 21,000 for the construction materials needed for the homes and encourage all of you to consider contributing to this world's first project designed to directly benefit victims of climate displacement, who without these houses, would have nowhere else to go. 100% of all funds raised as part of OHOF go straight to Bangladesh, so you can rest assured that all of your donations, no matter how small, will be used in full to build new homes for some of Bangladesh's most disadvantaged families.  The photographs below were taken in August 2018 and show the first four homes and their new inhabitants. Please let…...

A new DS report released today explores the effects of climate change and rising sea levels on one of Australia most vulnerable communities. The 47-page report - An Analysis and Recommendations on Applying the Peninsula Principles on Climate Displacement Within States to Current and Future Climate Displacement in Australia's Torres Strait Islands - examines how the Peninsula Principles could be used to guide local and national law and policy to ensure that the rights of Torres Strait Islanders are fully ensured in the context of ever worsening climate change effects there. The report offers a series of specific conclusions and recommendations on how to improve the prospects of one of Australia's most vulnerable coastal communities. The full report is available here: Torres Strait Islands and Climate Displacement...

Ten Years of Action It is hard to believe that DS has now been active for ten busy and eventful years. This has been quite a ride for our (intentionally) small and flexible organisation, and one involving an wonderful team of dedicated HLP experts from around the world working in a range of displacement hotspots. From developing the Peninsula Principles, to spearheading global efforts to obtain land for climate displaced people, developing IDP return designs in Timor Leste, Somalia, Colombia, Bhutan and many more, carrying on-site investigations in Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Panama, Kiribati, Bangladesh and other climate change-affected areas, to conducting HLP rights analysis and restitution design work in Myanmar, advising the UN on HLP issues in Syria, publishing several books, inaugurating the world’s first law school courses on climate displacement, and writing DS reports, producing films, building homes for climate displaced families in Chittagong, and so much more, this first DS decade has been an exhilarating one. Since our founding on 28 December 2006, DS has worked in some 35 countries to assist in finding rights-based solutions to forced displacement in all of its forms. Besides our legal experts, we have had the honour of working with villagers, community…...