Out of all humanitarian crises, the five countries with the highest reported needs for shelter
and non-food item assistance in 2018 were Yemen, Syria, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Nigeria, and Sudan (InterAction, 2020). These shelter and settlements crises are all in conflict
situations. The recovery or establishment of shelter and settlements generates sensitive
political issues during conflict. Whatever shelter strategies are implemented by operational
agencies will have significant impacts, which can include fuelling conflict and contributing to
peacebuilding (InterAction, 2020; Anderson, 1999).
Where root causes of conflict are linked to control of resources, such as land (van Leeuwen
& van der Haar, 2016), interventions related to access and use of land will be influenced by
the conflict. They will affect decisions about where shelter and settlements can be located for
displaced communities, as well as having an impact on possible durable solutions, defined by
UNHCR as repatriation, local integration, and resettlement (UNHCR, 2017c). Displacement
can be as much a tool for aggressors in conflict as a coping strategy for affected populations;
parties in conflict are often part of the negotiation when humanitarian actors are supporting
displaced populations to settle (Lischer, 2007). Parties can impose restrictions on access to
land, rights to settle, and freedom of movement. They can also restrict the use of building
materials or building techniques. These restrictions may reduce shelter opportunities and
sometimes limit assistance to provision of temporary shelters and non-food items (Global
Shelter Cluster, 2013).
Timeframe is another essential element to consider. In conflict, the traditional division
between relief, recovery, and development does not work. The humanitarian and emergency
phase may last for a long time with lapses and relapses of violence and insecurity forcing
multiple displacements of affected populations. The displaced population is often stuck in a
temporary situation for years (Moore, 2017), with no durable solution, but this interim state
of existence does not stop the desire for better housing and other social and communitybuilding
activities that are more associated with development outcomes (Brun, 2016).
This research aims to explore the role of shelter and settlements programmes in conflict
reduction and peacebuilding. It aims to demonstrate that support to shelter and settlement
interventions in conflict and displacement contexts can contribute to wider multisector
humanitarian outcomes, such as protection and social cohesion.