Drought in displacement: humanitarian and city responses for water security
This session during World Water Week 2025 introduced research findings on the intersections of drought and displacement in contexts of inequitable urbanisation.
Side event at World Water Week 2025 (Photo: IIED)
Research and policy have increasingly focused on drought as a driver of displacement, while there is comparatively less research and policy focus on the impacts of drought in cities and towns that receive displaced people.
Despite this, the majority of forced migrants – refugees, and internally displaced persons – live in cities, not camps. Most of them end up in densely populated, low-income neighbourhoods with increased exposure to climate risks, including drought.
This World Water Week side event, featuring speakers from Jordan, Zambia and the UK, introduced research findings on the intersections of drought and displacement in contexts of inequitable urbanisation.
Drawing on findings from two low-income neighbourhoods, one in Mafraq, Jordan and the second in Lusaka, Zambia, the session discussed the opportunities and challenges of integrated approaches that include displaced communities' water priorities in urban drought planning and mitigation strategies, water, sanitation and hygiene services, city planning processes, and humanitarian-development pathways.
Speakers
- Lucy Earle, director of Human Settlements, IIED
- Deena Dajani, senior researcher, IIED
- Marcelle Mardon, researcher, IIED
- Maren Thompson, senior project manager, IIED
- Ayah Hammad, senior urban planner, UN-Habitat – Jordan
- Dr Gilbert Siame, University Zambia
- Melanie Chirwa, People's Process on Housing and Poverty in Zambia
- Christabel Chimba, Zambia Homeless and People's Federation
Event coverage
You can watch a recording of the event below or on the World Water Week's YouTube channel.
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Contact
Deena Dajani, senior researcher, Human Settlements research group
