2023, the year displaced people broke all records: MEMO in Conversation with Ivana Hajzmanova

Conflict and violence in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and occupied Palestine drove the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) around the world to 75.9 million at the end of 2023. This is a new record, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). The body's global monitoring manager explains the driving forces behind internal displacement and discusses both wars and conflicts and the natural disasters forcing people away from their homes.

In this week's conversation with MEMO we talk to Ivana Hajzmanova, a representative of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), to discuss the body's latest report. Hajzmanova provides a comprehensive global overview of the main hotspots where internal displacement is occurring, with a special focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). She delves into the countries most affected by this crisis and highlights the nations that are coping better than others.

Throughout the conversation, we uncover the driving forces behind internal displacements, examining the complex interplay between natural disasters and man-made causes such as wars and conflicts. Hajzmanova sheds light on the role of state violence and armed groups in exacerbating displacements. The conversation also highlights the dire situation in Gaza, where an astonishing 83 per cent of the population is internally displaced, creating a humanitarian catastrophe.
Hajzmanova is the Global Monitoring Manager at IDMC, coordinating the production of internal displacement estimates, development of data mining and data analysis methodologies and external data diplomacy. She joined IDMC in 2016 as a Monitoring Expert and she coordinated the MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa team since 2020. Ivana has a background in humanitarian and human rights law and she previously worked on humanitarian needs analysis and assessment, and human rights advocacy with national and international NGOs.

She holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action from Sciences Po Paris and spent one semester studying international law and history of violence at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva.