Evacuations can be a lifesaving tool. But as recent global conflicts and unprecedented disasters have shown, without careful planning and oversight, evacuations can also displace people – often for prolonged periods and at great social, economic and personal cost.
The emergency nature of evacuations means that governments tend to focus on immediate assistance and may overlook longer-term needs, potentially leaving people in legal, physical and emotional limbo, without homes, livelihoods or support networks.
Evacuations Research Hub, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW