IDPs in Afghanistan: A Confused National Glossary

The labelling of distinct categories of people in need is a necessary, though sometimes controversial and often overlooked, element of almost all bureaucratic assistance programmes. One of the labels that has been the subject of consistent debate in the humanitarian literature in recent years is that of Internally Displaced Persons. In Afghanistan, the current president has pledged to stem future displacement and provide durable solutions to existing internally displaced persons, and thus to “remove the term ‘IDPs’from our national glossary”. However, there is currently remarkably little clarity regarding the usage of this term within the country. Drawing on interviews with current and former policy-makers and practitioners in Afghanistan, this article seeks to explore the complexities and limitations of the internally displaced persons label and differences in how it is understood by these actors.