The project aims to make a positive impact on displaced peoples’ lives in the Middle East through bridging the gap between policy frames and implementation. It aims to generate impact through engaging non-academic audiences with academic research. It will achieve this by directly engaging with relevant policymakers, local and international civil society organisations and UN agencies. It will capture the importance of addressing the gendered dimensions of conflict-related displacement and of the responses to this issue at the civil society, local government and international levels.

Incorporation of the issue of displacement into the WPS agenda can improve strategies regarding the protection of women, prevention of harm, enabling recovery and relief during and after conflict-related displacement, and can also enable the participation of displaced women in decision-making, conflict resolution and peace-building. The absence of women and the lack of gender perspectives in decision-making processes in relation to short- and long-term responses to displacement hinder women from having a meaningful impact on the design of the provisions for protection and development of support systems. This occurs despite the fact that more women than men are affected by conflict-related displacement and the impact of displacement on women is disproportionate due to gendered vulnerabilities.

• A workshop in Jordan on 26-27 September brought together relevant stakeholders including regional government officials, UK government officials, local and international civil society organisations and academics and experts with experience of developing National Action Plans for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in different countries in the Middle East including Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Yemen. Read the report of the workshop here.
• A policy development initiative – breakout sessions with a group of experts and stakeholders to: assess current and future efforts on WPS; develop specific recommendations for the inclusion of the displacement issue into National Action Plans; and assess existing Plans in order to inform and contribute to the ongoing implementation and revision processes.

The project activities will culminate in a policy report that will draw on the discussions from the workshop and breakout sessions. The report will be disseminated to relevant stakeholders and will be made available via LSE Middle East Centre and LSE Centre for Women, Peace and Security's websites.