Testing the Value of Knowledge Ecosystems on Forced Displacement in the Middle East and East Africa

This project aims to produce knowledge about how local policy-making on forced displacement issues can be better informed by localized knowledge and networks. It will demonstrate the value of local ‘knowledge ecosystems’ in promoting a more nuanced and localized understanding of how refugees, host communities, states and development actors in the Global South can deal more effectively with the challenge of forced displacement.It will assess the conditions under which such ecosystems can achieve their potential of producing localized evidence to influence the discourse on forced displacement. It will also examine how these ecosystems can impact policy processes and practice within the local community and international fora, and how governments and civil society can develop strategic responses based on identified needs drawn from affected populations.

This will be done through four case studies covering four countries: Lebanon, Jordan, Kenya and Ethiopia. The project will be implemented in partnership with the Issam Faris Institute at the American University of Beirut (AUB), the African Migration and Development Policy Centre in Nairobi, and the Carleton University-based Local Engagement Refugee Research Network (LERRN).