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Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Out of camp or out of sight? Realigning responses to protracted displacement in an urban world
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
For decades, the response by the international community to mass movements of people fleeing war or political persecution has been to provide humanitarian assistance in camps. Yet despite highly-charged debates on the negative impact of maintaining forcibly displaced people in often inhospitable and remote regions and dependent on humanitarian assistance, camps have continued to be a default response to new refugee crises. Camps are not, however, the choice of the majority of the world's displaced people, and estimates suggest that over 60% of refugees and half of internally displaced persons (IDPs) now live in towns and cities. Research, international policy discourse and local action have been slow to catch up. The experiences of urban refugees and IDPs, their understandings of well-being and self-reliance, and their contributions to host communities remain understudied. There is a critical need for evidence to inform innovative solutions to protracted displacement that support both the specific vulnerabilities of displaced people and the needs of the urban poor amongst whom they often live. With the ultimate goal of improving self-reliance, well-being and the productive livelihoods of refugees, returnees and IDPs this research examines the potential of an urban response to protracted displacement to assess how cities can foster displaced people's self-reliance and local integration, while benefitting host governments and communities. The research is the first large-scale study to compare experiences of displacement in cities and camps and provide evidenced analysis of the comparative outcomes for displaced people in these different settings. It focuses on four countries with large displaced populations: Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Jordan and Kenya, The ultimate goal is to improve the well-being and productive livelihoods of displaced people and to enable their full participation in urban life and contribution to host cities. The overall aims of the research are to: 1. Build an evidence base for national and local governments, humanitarian agencies and donors on the opportunities and challenges of hosting displaced people in camps vs. urban areas 2. Promote an assessment of current responses to urban protracted displacement, raising awareness of unmet need and the potential economic and social contributions of refugees and IDP for host cities 3. Build the capacity of municipal authorities, displaced people, organisations of the urban poor and other local actors to use participatory planning to develop innovative, inclusive solutions to forced displacement. The countries studied host some of the largest refugee and IDP populations in the world. All four countries rely on international aid to support the costs of the displaced - particularly those in camps who lack the right to work and whose freedom of movement may be limited. Three of the four countries are piloting the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework, the UN's 2016 vision for managing forced displacement. Through partnership with displaced and host populations, and collaborations between international experts, operational actors, developing-country academics, local NGOs and affected communities, this research project will produce: an assessment of how an urban response can support a rights-based approach to local integration; guidance for municipal governments facing large influxes of people, and evidence to support international policy and decision-making on innovative solutions to protracted displacement.
Transforming Universities for a Changing Climate
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
Climate change is widely recognised as the most critical challenge of our age, with the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report suggesting that to avoid devastating effects, the world must move entirely to renewables by 2050. This project aims to strengthen the contribution of universities in lower-income countries to addressing this challenge. The role of research and innovation in this task is widely acknowledged, and universities around the world are closely involved in the tasks of monitoring, interpreting and responding to the process and effects of global warming. Yet the broader role of universities in addressing the climate crisis is as yet under-researched. How do courses provided by universities address the question of climate change, and what forms of climate-related learning do students engage with on campus and beyond? What impacts do universities have on climate change through community engagement activities, in fostering public debate on the issue and in the way they embody the principles of sustainability in their own institutional forms? These roles of universities beyond knowledge production are critical in addressing climate change, given the deep social, political and economic roots of the crisis, and the need to engage with professional development, civic action and public awareness. At the same time, it is clear that despite the potentialities of universities in this regard, much more could be done. This is particularly the case in low and middle-income countries in which there is disproportionate impact of the most devastating effects of climate change. This project addresses these questions in the context of the higher education systems of Brazil, Fiji, Kenya and Mozambique. These countries have been selected on account of the vulnerability of their populations to climate-related disasters, but also because of the potentialities of their higher education systems for responding to the challenges, and in generating learning that can be utilised in other contexts. The countries have distinct features in relation to their culture, politics, economics and geography, as well as in their higher education systems, which will allow for significant possibilities of learning across the four countries and with the UK. The research will start with a survey of the state of play as regards universities' coverage of climate change issues within their teaching, research and community engagement. Participatory action research groups will then be created in 12 universities across the four countries, including representatives of students, lecturers, senior management and local communities. These groups will design, implement and monitor initiatives to address local challenges, in line with their own priorities. Interventions may include new modules for students, training workshops for local professionals working with environmental issues, community based projects on disaster preparedness, or developing a carbon neutral campus. The learning generated from these diverse experiences will contribute to theory building and understanding of the relationship between education and sustainable development, and of the role of higher education in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There will be a strong emphasis on South-South collaboration and learning, and insights generated from interaction and comparison across high/middle/low income countries, between Anglophone and Lusophone higher education systems, and between Africa, the Pacific and Latin America. While most acknowledged that education has some role to play in achieving the SDGs, much closer attention is needed to the institutional forms and practices that are most conducive. This project grapples with this question in the context of four low and middle-income countries, with significant lessons for the broader global community.
Improving healthcare at the intersection of gender and protracted displacement amongst Somali and Congolese refugees and IDPs
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
This project aims to help displaced people to access appropriate healthcare for long-term physical and mental health conditions associated with protracted displacement, conflict, and gendered violence. The category of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) receives a great deal of attention. However, there is limited research on how gendered violence, including violence relating to sexuality, is experienced in displacement contexts. There is also limited understanding of how gender, sexuality, and related violence affect access to healthcare, and how that can result in neglected chronic health conditions, particularly mental ill-health. Similarly, much attention is devoted to immediate healthcare needs following SGBV, but longer-term physical and mental health conditions are not adequately addressed. Displaced people face multiple barriers when seeking healthcare in protracted displacement settings, with the result that long-term health conditions are often misdiagnosed and mistreated or undiagnosed and untreated. This project examines access to care and the responsiveness of healthcare providers for displaced Congolese and Somalis in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Somali, Kenya, and South Africa. Eastern DRC and Somalia have both experienced long-term conflict and displacement since the early 1990s, leading to large populations of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) within these countries and large refugee populations across the region. Conflict and displacement in Eastern DRC and Somalia are characterised by high rates of sexual and gender-based violence, and victims are stigmatised through prevailing gender and sexual norms. Existing health research tends to focus on the immediate aftermath of violence rather than on long-term mental and physical health conditions. The project has eight field sites in four countries. The four IDP field sites are one formal camp and one informal settlement each in Eastern DRC and Somalia, both of which have weak health systems. The four refugee field sites are Congolese and Somali settlements in Kenya and South Africa, which have different health systems and different refugee laws and policies. The project brings together researchers and practitioners from international development, migration studies, gender studies, medical anthropology, public health and health policy, and medical sciences to undertake interdisciplinary empirical research in these protracted displacement contexts. Panzi Foundation (DRC) and War Trauma Foundation (Netherlands) will guide teams of researchers based at the University of Edinburgh (UK), the University of Kinshasa (DRC), the Somali Institute for Development and Research (Somalia), Amref International University (Kenya), and the University of Witwatersrand (South Africa). Project activities are designed to: 1) enhance the capacity of partner organisations; 2) support the inclusion of displaced people in healthcare systems; 3) foster international networks.
Jordan-UK El Hassan bin Talal Research Chair in Sustainability
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
The Jordan – UK El Hassan bin Talal Research Chair in Sustainability is a joint initiative between the British Academy and the Royal Scientific Society of Jordan (RSS). Its aim is to enhance the research and innovation capacity of Jordan for long-term sustainable development. The initiative is supported by the Newton-Khalidi Fund. This call is open to applicants with established expertise in any area relevant to the challenges of sustainability, particularly in the context of Jordan. Such areas could relate to, but need not necessarily be limited to: food security, water, energy and the environment, cities and infrastructure, climate change, sustainable livelihoods, health and well-being, migration and displacement, inequalities, and education. Specific objectives include expanding research and innovation capacity within the social sciences and humanities in Jordan with a particular focus on the area of sustainable development and issues of relevance and importance to the local context; and improving Jordan’s international research and innovation competitiveness while responding to socio-economic challenges in the country.
Brazil - Newton Advanced Fellowship
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
Awards for early to mid-career international researchers who have already established (or in process of establishing) a research group. Awards support researchers in their own country, providing funding for training and development in collaboration with a UK partner, with the intention of transferring knowledge and research capabilities to partner countries.
China - Newton Advanced Fellowship
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
Awards for early to mid-career international researchers who have already established (or in process of establishing) a research group. Awards support researchers in their own country, providing funding for training and development in collaboration with a UK partner, with the intention of transferring knowledge and research capabilities to partner countries.
China - Newton International Fellowship
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
Scheme supports early-career international researchers to spend two years undertaking research at a host university or research institution in the UK, enabling them to benefit from a period within a first class research environment in some of the UK’s best universities. Awards provide stipend, research monies, and relocation costs.
Mexico - Newton International Fellowship
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
Scheme supports early-career international researchers to spend two years undertaking research at a host university or research institution in the UK, enabling them to benefit from a period within a first class research environment in some of the UK’s best universities. Awards provide stipend, research monies, and relocation costs.
Palestinian Bedouin at risk of forced displacement: IHL vulnerabilities, ICC possibilities
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
This project seeks to better understand the humanitarian impact of continued forcible transfer of the Bedouin communities living in E1, Jerusalem, and how impunity for violations of international law contributes to the deterioration of humanitarian vulnerabilities. Through qualitative enquiry, combining desk based research and first hand semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, the project will gather together a significant body of evidence to highlight to ongoing deleterious impact of repeated violations of IHL (and impunity for violations) on those living at the sharp edge of the situation in Israel-Palestine, namely the Bedouin communities of E1. In their 2017 report, Humanitarian Facts and Figures: Occupied Palestinian Territory, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted that forced displacement is listed as one of the four key drivers of humanitarian vulnerability. The report highlighted that, "between 2009 and 2016, Israeli authorities demolished or seized over 4,800 Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank, mostly in Area C and East Jerusalem". It further indicated that "46 Palestinian Bedouin communities in the central West Bank, home to some 8,000 Palestinians, the majority registered Palestine refugees, have been targeted by the Israeli authorities for "relocation" to a number of designated sites". The expansion of Israeli settlements, considered illegal and condemned as a "flagrant violation under international law" by UN Security Council resolution 2334 of 2016, has been a driver for confiscation of Palestinian private and public land, demolition of homes (including Bedouin shacks) and repeated displacement of Palestinian civilians. The confiscation and demolition of property in Bedouin villages, and the ensuing forcible transfer/relocation of these vulnerable communities, is recognised as a violation of IHL and human rights by the UN, EU and other international actors. Forced displacement of civilians in an occupied territory is also considered a crime under International Criminal Law. The planned expansion of the 'Ma'ale Adumim' settlement block east of Jerusalem is exacerbating the humanitarian vulnerabilities of the Bedouin and herder communities in the E1 area. Bedouin communities such as those residing in Abu Al-Nuwwar, Wadi Abu Hindi, Al Khan Al-Ahmar, Jabal Al-Baba and Sath Al Bahar are at the front line of defence for resisting Israeli settlement expansion, thus ensuring Palestinian access to Jerusalem. This scenario does not just affect individual Bedouin villages at risk of demolition and transfer, but carries grave implications for the broader Israeli-Palestinian situation. Thus, Palestinian Bedouin at risk of forcible transfer have, unintentionally, become key players in the regional context, whilst simultaneously facing unique humanitarian vulnerabilities that must be better understood. A number of Israeli policies and practices in those areas, including a restrictive permit and planning regime, demolitions and threats of demolitions of property and the active promotion of relocation plans all contribute to the coercive environment, "which generates pressure on Palestinians to leave their communities". In the Israeli-Palestinian context, impunity for violations of international law, including IHL, has been recognised as a "driver of conflict". In espousing the benefits of holding violators of IHL to account, it has been noted that, "effective accountability not only ensures that perpetrators are brought to justice, but also ensures that victims have access to remedies and serves to deter future violations and to try to repair the harm suffered." As such, it is vital to understand the impact of violations of IHL on the Bedouin and herder communities in Palestine, and engage with the ICC's work. This project will work fill this gap, and produce an edited book and policy report.
Historicising Natures, Cultures and Laws in the Etosha-Kunene Conservation Territories of Namibia
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
How can conservation of biodiversity-rich landscapes come to terms with the past [Vergangenheitsbewältigung], given historical contexts of extreme social exclusion and marginalisation? How can key biodiversity areas whose global value rests on ahistorical ideas of Nature resist an uncritical presentism, to be better understood as entangled with diverse human histories and values? How can conservation policy and practice recognise deep cultural and linguistic differences around 'the nature of nature'? Our research responds to these questions through a cross-disciplinary humanities programme analysing dynamic dimensions of conservation territories in the Kunene Region of the former German colony that is now Namibia. Kunene's Etosha National Park and neighbouring beyond-Etosha conservation designations are home to diverse indigenous and marginalised peoples. Our research team of three women academics in Germany, the UK and Namibia has a combined 50+ years of ethnographic, archival, oral history and livelihoods enquiry in Etosha-Kunene. We propose a new collaborative three-year programme of six intersecting work packages (WPs): WP1 on 'Historicising Socio-ecological Policy in Etosha-Kunene' offers a detailed discourse analysis and history of public conservation policy affecting natures and peoples associated with the region, interrogating shifting influences, interests and governance technologies; WP2 on 'Comparative Indigenous Perspectives' assembles our long-term research in the region into a new comparative analysis of indigenous Khoe, San and Himba-Herero understandings of natures-beyond-the-human, drawing on current theories in the anthropology of nature; WP3 on 'Making Identity and Indigeneity in Etosha-Kunene' explores how indigenous identities are made, focusing especially on how distinct and intersecting 'Khoe' and 'San' identities have been present(ed) in ethnographic, linguistic, conservation and legal discourse; WP4 on 'Spatialising Coloniality in Etosha-Kunene' (re)traces the thought and practices of selected colonial European actors from the mid-1800s, bringing their written narratives into conversation with indigenous interlocutors inhabiting the same places and spaces (see WP2); WP5 on 'Collecting, Curating and Returning Etosha-Kunene Natures' investigates how the natures of Etosha-Kunene have been both represented and shaped by natural history collections of specimen-artefacts assembled by the (mostly male) European actors we study in WP4; WP6 focuses on public engagements, via a mobile exhibition, a website, and a series of workshops sharing and further exploring issues arising in WPs 1-5. In sum, we offer a multivocal and radically historicised analysis of Etosha-Kunene that contributes new thinking on coloniality, indigeneity and 'natural history'. Our aim is to support conservation laws and praxis to more fully recognise the diversity of pasts, cultures and natures constituting this internationally-valued region.
Partition of Identity: An exploration of Belonging in Bengalis in Pakistan, 1971- 2021
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
Following the violent Liberation War of 1971 in which Bangladesh declared independence from Pakistan, there was a wave of migration from Bangladesh to the more economically stable Pakistan. Often settling in Sindh province, particularly Karachi, these Bengali migrants have participated widely in the Pakistani economy. Many have been refused citizenship rights in line with the Pakistan Citizenship Act of 1951 and despite their Pakistan-born children and grandchildren having little direct knowledge of Bangladesh, they remain without official documentation. This can create challenges in everyday activities (around education, employment and health) and strengthen the idea that they are not 'true' Pakistani citizens as emphasised by a wider state narrative. Recently, with the arrival of a newly elected government, momentum has been building towards granting the community full rights. Moreover, with the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's creation in 2021 drawing ever closer, our project comes at a critical time. Our research takes place in 3 phases and overall, we aim to investigate how the identities and contributions of these Bengali migrants are understood within the community, and how they have they been understood by a wider Pakistani state narrative since 1971. Furthermore, we aim to understand how these two accounts influence each other. No existing record of this group exists. By co-producing a new history of identity, activism, migration memory and belonging with our interviewees and arts partners, we will ensure that the voices of Pakistani Bengalis are recorded and heard. Our sample will be diverse including Pakistani Bengali men, women and young people of different ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. Our project will: - transform academic and public understandings of how lack of citizenship influences social identity and sense of belonging, and stimulates resistance, among Bengalis in Pakistan, particularly in young people. This will be through creating written and aural records from this group, accessible for anyone to read or listen to. - expand understandings of how social representations of minority groups can influence their treatment and social positioning in the developing world - enhance awareness of the Pakistani Bengali minority group in terms of its cultural heritage and socio-economic contribution to Pakistan through the range of project outputs The project will be conducted with a series of partners based in the UK and Pakistan. These include: UCL, Where the PI is based, Lahore University of Management Science, where the Co-I is based, the Citizens Archive of Pakistan, National College of Arts, Lahore Students Union and Pakistan Institute for Education and Labour Research. Our partners will be involved to differing degrees in the 3 research phases. In Phase 1 we will conduct a strategic search through historical, policy and media documents for depiction of the community. This will inform the interview and archival elicitation work in Phases 2 and 3. It will also give information on wider state and media representation of this group. Phase 2 will involve oral history interviews and archival elicitation with 48 adults and 30 young people. We will also conduct art workshops with young people. Here we will gather information on community representation of self. In Phase 3, artists and musicians will re-imagine both state representation and also community representations to produce new outputs based on the community. By the end of the project, we will have created and developed a new oral history archive, art and music based on the research, a documentary, a website, online exhibition, museum exhibition, two output events, media articles, 3 journal articles and co-edited book. Most importantly, we will advance the field by generating important new knowledge regarding the Bengali community in Pakistan following their migration in 1971 and ensure that their stories are told and voices are heard.
Newton Advanced Fellowships (Year 4 Round 2) NSFC
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
This programme focuses on mid-career researchers in Newton Fund countries, and develops their research strengths by providing support for training and development in collaboration with a UK partner with the intention of transferring knowledge and research capabilities to researchers in partner countries.
Newton Mobility Grants (Year 4 Round 2) NSFC
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
This programme supports researchers in Newton Fund countries to develop collaborations with UK researchers. These awards are particularly suited to initiate new collaborative partnerships, between scholars who have not previously worked together, or new initiatives between scholars who have collaborated in the past.
Newton International Fellowships (Year 6 Round 1)
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
Enables talented early career post-doctoral researchers from partner countries to spend two consecutive years undertaking research at a UK host institute. The fellowship supports talented early career researchers from partner countries to develop their research capabilities by hosting them with some of the best research departments in the UK.
Newton Advanced Fellowships (Year 5 Round 2) NSFC
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
This programme focuses on mid-career researchers in Newton Fund countries, and develops their research strengths by providing support for training and development in collaboration with a UK partner with the intention of transferring knowledge and research capabilities to researchers in partner countries.
Newton International Fellowships (Year 6 Round 1) NSFC
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
Enables talented early career post-doctoral researchers from partner countries to spend two consecutive years undertaking research at a UK host institute. The fellowship supports talented early career researchers from partner countries to develop their research capabilities by hosting them with some of the best research departments in the UK.
Newton Advanced Fellowships (Year 7 Round 1)
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
This programme focuses on mid-career researchers in Newton Fund countries, and develops their research strengths by providing support for training and development in collaboration with a UK partner with the intention of transferring knowledge and research capabilities to researchers in partner countries.
Do neighbourhoods matter? Country- cluster- and individual effects on attitudes towards intimate partner violence in low- and middle-income countries
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
The study will address significant knowledge gaps in our understanding of women's and men's attitudes towards intimate partner violence against women (IPV) at the neighbourhood-level in 54 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) across Central-, East- and South Asia, the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North- and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Adaptation and mitigation strategies to cope with the effects of extreme heat in developing countries: implications for climate change.
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
The increase in extreme temperatures associated to global warming and climate change are creating drastic effects at a planetary scale. These impacts seriously disrupt economic activities, particularly among the most vulnerable in the developing world, such as traditional farmers or low productivity informal workers in urban areas. Their ability to cope with environmental disruptions and to adapt to a changing climate can have strong implications in terms of vulnerable households' wellbeing. The goal of the proposed research is to deepen our understanding on how environmental events associated with climate change affect income generating activities and individuals' subsequent adaptive behaviour in developing countries. Accounting for these responses is very important to obtain more precise estimates of the economic costs of climate change, to identify potential winners and losers, and to inform the design of context-specific mitigating policies.
Birth across the Borders: exploring contextual education as a catalyst for improved maternal health.
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY
Families that lose a mother in pregnancy or childbirth face many challenges. They are left with a gap that can lead to a loss of income and poverty. It can cause a lot of family pressures, especially for girls are left to care for younger children and are not able to go to school. Many of these families come from communities that are already poor, with very little infrastructure and limited access to decent healthcare. This can cause a much higher risk of death, both for mothers and babies, especially in poor countries. Opportunities are more limited because families lack money and education. Myanmar is a South East Asian country that has had many years of tension and conflict between the different people groups. Many of these groups live in remote mountainous areas where basic resources and infrastructure such as electricity are limited. There is often little healthcare in these areas with very few doctors, nurses or midwives to care for mothers and their families. One in 23 women in Eastern Myanmar either die or come close to death during pregnancy or childbirth. These challenges are all very typical in developing countries across the world today, but a lot can be changed with education that makes sense to mothers and families in their situations. Working together with our local partners we intend to learn more about the specific challenges facing families in four regions of Myanmar. From this we will co-develop three education programmes which will be especially adapted for each region. One of these programmes will help families and communities understand the processes of pregnancy and birth, recognise what is normal, what is unusual and what is dangerous and to know what to do and where to go to get help. Our second programme will further train health workers to understand the different signs and symptoms that are dangerous in pregnancy and birth and find ways to help mothers in time to prevent complications. Poverty is very high in parts of Myanmar, so our third programme is for community leaders and local people to support them to start and grow businesses. This way families can afford to eat well and get good healthcare when they need it. Our project will focus on remote regions in Myanmar and together we plan to learn how to find ways to overcome the legacy of many years of poverty and conflict. This project will include staff from our universities in Northern Ireland and Thailand as well as local partners who come from or have been working in the region for many years. Through this project we hope to help support the work of all our partners and improve education for mothers, families and communities. A key part of our project is making sure that the education they receive makes sense in their situations and includes their beliefs and customs leading to improved health, social and economic opportunities and accessible healthcare. We plan to share what we do with other organisations working in Myanmar who may also benefit from our research. Finally, it is hoped that our research will contribute to current policies and practices in partnership with the government of Myanmar and the ethnic health organisations.
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