Social Protection in Conflict and Conflict-Related Displacement Crises

In recent years, efforts to encourage the use of social protection in response to conflict and displacement have increased. Yet many of the lessons from social protection and shock-responsive programmes emerged in response to climate shocks and other disasters and are not necessarily transferable to conflict and displacement settings. Ultimately, the concern must be how to sustain support to the poorest and most vulnerable populations during conflict. This shifts the focus away from simply maintaining the functions and delivery capacities of state‑directed social protection towards how to harmonise multiple channels and providers of social assistance. State‑directed social protection may not be the most appropriate channel to address the needs of conflict-affected and displaced populations. This article considers the challenges to introducing, extending, and sustaining social protection in crises characterised by conflict and displacement.