The Middle East Research Institute (MERI) has initiated a study aimed to design policies for improving the management of the recent refugee and internally displaced people (IDPs) crisis in Kurdistan. The project will examine the economic, security and social impacts of the displaced people on the host community, which has perceived how the total population of the region increased by more than 15% in a year. The evidence gathered will hence facilitate the design and recommendations of policies for a more effective management of the crisis.
MERI is working collaboratively with the Kurdistan Regional Government, NGOs and international organisations such as UNDP to develop this long term approach to the current crisis. With the host community feeling the risks for the economy and on their core security, solid evidence on the impacts posed by displaced people will be required before solutions can be adequately suggested to maintain social cohesion.
For more information please visit our project page: Impact of Displaced People on Kurdistan Region.
Click here to download the press release
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About MERI: The Middle East Research Institute is Iraq’s leading policy-research institute and think tank. It is an independent, entirely grant-funded not-for-profit organisation, based in Erbil, Kurdistan Region. Its mission is to contribute to the process of nation-building, state-building and democratisation via engagement, research, analysis and policy debates.
MERI’s main objectives include promoting and developing human rights, good governance, the rule of law and social and economic prosperity. MERI conduct high impact, high quality research (including purpose-based field work) and has published extensively in areas of: human rights, government reform, international politics, national security, ISIS, refugees, IDPs, minority rights (Christians, Yezidis, Turkmen, Shabaks, Sabi mandeans), Baghdad-Erbil relations, Hashd Al-Shabi, Peshmarga, violence against women, civil society. MERI engages policy- and decision-makers, the civil society and general public via publication, focused group discussions and conferences (MERI Forum)