The Durable Solutions Platform (DSP) together with the Program on Forced Migration and Health (PFMH) at Columbia University launched their joint report at the Columbia Global Centers | Amman (CGC), on Thursday 6 February. The research explored how Syrian refugees’ self-reliance could be improved while at the same time supporting host communities’ resilience and social cohesion. The event brought together around 100 people from various backgrounds, including national and international stakeholders from the UN, NGOs and civil society, as well as scholars and experts.
Dr. Ahmad Mousa from the CGC welcomed everyone to the event and the center by explaining that the research report was an outcome of multi-stakeholder engagement throughout most of 2019. Lana Stade from DSP welcomed participants by explaining that globally, durable solutions continue to be often out of reach for the growing number of displaced people, with displacement remaining a humanitarian, human rights and development concern. As a regional initiative, the DSP aims to generate knowledge, convene strategic dialogue and support programming solutions on the long-term future of people displaced from Syria. As Syrians’ displacement is entering its ninth year in Jordan, the research project focused on assessing the lessons learned from the refugee response so far, and identify clear ways forward to support Syrian refugees’ and host communities’ self-reliance and resilience in the medium term, namely on education, social assistance and livelihoods.