Understanding wellbeing in situations of protracted displacement
Channel: IIED
Date: 2021-12-11

Deena Dajani, researcher with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and  Michael Owiso, of Maseno University, discuss understanding wellbeing in situations of protracted displacement.

This extract is taken from an event at the Conference on Humanitarian Studies on 5 November 2021 organised by the International Humanitarian Studies Association that focused on the new realities of politics and humanitarianism.

The event, ‘A world without camps? Understanding the potential for refugees and IDPs to achieve well-being and decent livelihoods in urban areas’, showcased the work of a ground-breaking comparative study of displaced people’s wellbeing and economies in camps and urban areas of Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Jordan and Kenya. 

The ‘Protracted displacement in an urban world’ project is a three-year study led by the Human Settlements research group at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), in partnership with the universities of Addis Ababa and Dilla (Ethiopia), Cardiff (UK) and Maseno (Kenya), the Hashemite University of Jordan and the Afghan office of the social enterprise Samuel Hall. Civil society partners include the Kenyan federation of Shack/Slum Dwellers International, and the Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat in Ethiopia. 

The project explores the potential of urban areas to serve as dignified, productive and safe spaces for displaced people. It posits internally displaced peoples and refugees foremost as urban residents with significant contributions to make to urban economies and societies, and seeks to engage municipal and national authorities and the international community in realigning responses to protracted displacement in our increasingly urban world.

More information: https://www.protracteddisplacement.org/home