In the past two decades, conflicts in the Middle East & North Africa have forced millions to flee their homes in Iraq, the Palestinian Territories, Syria, Sudan, Libya, and Yemen. As the world is witnessing another wave of forced displacement with 1.7 million Palestinians displaced due to the war in Gaza, as well as the 9.0 million internally displaced in Sudan in addition to more than 7.0 million displaced inside of Syria and 5 million to neighboring countries and 1.2 million in Iraq, the vulnerability of women and girls to the harms of forced displacement has never been more visible and acute. From lack of access to maternal and reproductive health, basic health and sanitation, and increased gender-based violence, women and girls face tremendous stresses on their physical and psychological well-being and constraints on their livelihoods and their families.
To mark World Refugee Day, please join the Middle East Program for an expert panel to discuss the gendered impacts of forced displacement across the Middle East & North Africa. They will address patterns of forced displacement; the unique challenges that women and girls face, and how policymakers can better address their needs and generate conditions of safety, security, and prosperity, among other issues.