In refugee-hosting cities particularly in those where refugees have settled in camps, measures to avoid community transmission of the virus, such as physical distancing and frequent hand-washing, would be difficult to implement. In the time that most refugee-hosting countries reported local transmission of COVID-19, avoiding an outbreak of the coronavirus among refugees calls for special measures tailored to the needs of this vulnerable group.

In this virtual session on August 27, 2020 (13:30 - 15:00 CEST), the experience of the municipal unions of Dreib Al Awsat and Jurd El Qayteh in Lebanon will be presented and their good practice of developing and employing an open source tracking application will be showcased. In addition, insights from Irbid (Jordan) will be shared by the representative of the city’s municipal council who will shed light on the economic impacts on refugees and host communities employed in the agricultural sector. Moreover, questions we seek to answer include:

1. What have been the core challenges for refugee-hosting municipalities?
2. What measures have refugee-hosting municipalities implemented to protect the vulnerable group of refugees?
3. Are there any lessons learned with respect to service provision and preparedness against pandemics in refugee-hosting settings such as camps?

The virtual event will be held in English and Arabic. More information can be found here (pdf-download).

If you would like to participate or have any questions, please contact Muna Shalan muna.shalan(at)giz.de