COVID-19 and Forced Displacement in the Global South | The Syrian Refugee Crisis: A View from Jordan

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), and the Joint Data Center on Forced Displacement (JDC) co-organized the second webinar in a mini-series focused on the impacts of COVID-19 on forcibly displaced people in the Global South, and efforts by NGOs and governments to support them.

As the COVID-19 pandemic persists around the globe, refugees are faced with dual hardships of disease and displacement. What are the economic impacts on refugees during and after lockdowns in urban contexts? How can subsidized housing assistance promote integration goals? What specific challenges do Syrian refugees in Jordan face, and how has the pandemic further exacerbated these issues? What are the specific challenges faced by adolescents?

On December 7, Sarah Baird (George Washington University and GAGE), Samuel Leone (UC Berkeley), and Nathaniel Young (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) shared findings from ongoing research assessing programs focused on Syrian refugees in Jordan. Their studies address strategies around subsidized housing, the economic impacts of lockdowns, public opinion to promote socioeconomic integration of refugees, and the experience of adolescents. Each panelist will also discuss how the pandemic has affected program outcomes. Radha Rajkotia, IPA’s Chief Research and Policy Officer, will moderate.

Panelists

• Sarah Baird, Associate Professor of Global Health and Economics, George Washington University; Impact Evaluation Lead, Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence

“Adolescents’ experiences of COVID-19 and the public health response in Jordan”

• Samuel Leone, PhD Candidate in Economics, University of California, Berkeley

 “Impacts of Housing Assistance on Syrian Refugee Resilience During COVID-19””

• Nathaniel Young, Principal Economist, Office of the Chief Economist, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

“Economic Impacts of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Vulnerable Populations: Evidence from Jordan”