Robinson: Housing and security remain key issues for residents of crisis regions

Humanitarian organizations must take into account the risks of repeated population displacement and the long-term consequences of their decisions from the early stages of a crisis.

Report informs that Jim Robinson, co-coordinator of the Global Housing, Land and Property Area of Responsibility (HLP AoR), said this during WUF13 in Baku.

According to him, people living in crisis regions do not view humanitarian assistance, recovery and development as separate stages, as housing, security and the future remain their main concerns.

"We need to think about the long term from the very beginning of a crisis," Robinson stressed.

He noted that providing housing and shelter without considering possible consequences can make people more vulnerable and create new conflicts over property and population return.

"If we provide people with housing in a certain way, we need to understand what unintended consequences this may cause," the expert said.

Robinson also drew attention to the need for closer cooperation between humanitarian organizations and local authorities, municipalities and communities.

The expert stressed that issues such as the protection of property rights, dispute resolution and access to justice also play an important role in recovery processes.