1 LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS IN URBAN: A CASE STUDY OF KATHMANDU VALLEY, NEPAL Chhabi Ram Baral 1 Abstract Urban have wider livelihood options than other areas. For the present purpose Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) refer to those who left their homes because of arm conflict and are living in urban Kathmandu. Several urban areas of Nepal experienced a significant increase in IDPs during the conflict. Many people are displaced to urban areas for their livelihood. Dislocation, dispossession and personnel identity crisis is corollary of internal displacement. In this context, the main objective of this paper is to examine the status of livelihood assets before and after displacement. The data and information needed for this study were obtained through primary and secondary sources. Based on the empirical study, the findings of the study suggest that root of poverty rests within the five livelihood assets. When the accesses to assest become weak, the poverty starts from there. If there is balance among those assets in a household, there does not exists poverty exists when the access to the assets become poor, there occurs poverty. Key words: Livelihood Strategy, IDPs, Vulnerabilities, Assets, Urban Area, Conflict, Displacement 1. INTRODUCTION According to UN guiding principle, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are persons or group of persons who have been forced to flee or leave their home place of habitual residence, in order to avoid the effects of armed conflicts, situation of generalized violence, violence of human rights or natural and human disaster but who have not crossed internationally recognized state boarder (UN 1998). However, this study consider IDPs as only to those who left their homes because of arm conflict and are living in Kathmandu. Several urban areas experienced a significant increase in IDPs (Thapa 2003). Many people are displaced to urban areas for their livelihood. Dislocation, dispossession and personnel identity crisis is corollary of internal displacement. They do not have social mandate. So, they are feeling alienated in alien land. IDPs have been suffering from various perilous problems in terms of their livelihood. Conflict is major factor for their marginalization in urban area. These marginal social groups are sustaining their livelihood, through limited livelihood assets within fragile environment. So, IDPs are more vulnerable than other urban groups. In the past migration in Nepal has occurred in response to traditional pushes and pulls factors. Especially Nepalese people living in rural areas have been pushed to urban areas by meager local employment prospects, poor local schools and health care facilities, and what is perceived by them to be a generally low quality of life. They have correspondingly been pushed to move to urban areas by societal perception that are better employment prospects, better schools and health care facilities, and by quality of life in the city. While these factors were adequate to explain urbanization and internal displacement in the past, now there is a new push factor at work. The Maoist insurgency and the corresponding government response is pushing considerable number of citizens, who fear for their safety and better livelihood, to move to urban areas (Him Rights & Population Watch 2005). When CPN (Maoist) initiated the people's war on February 13, 1996 with the main objective for sweeping away the 1 Mr. Baral is Teaching Assistant, Department of Geography, Patan Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University.