Forced Displacement Working Group Meeting #4

Date: June 13, 2025
Location: Penn Washington (formerly the Penn Biden Center), Washington, D.C.
Organized by: PDRI-DevLab@Penn
Participants: 65+ attendees from research, government, multilateral, and NGO sectors

The fourth FDWG meeting marked a period of expansion for the group, drawing a record number of participants and deepening its commitment to bridging displacement research with real-world application. Key sessions included:

  • New datasets and tools for tracking internal displacement, environmental triggers, and refugee-led businesses

  • Studies on return migration, reintegration barriers, and smuggling economies across Central America and the Middle East

  • A panel on the political economy of refugee policy, examining the tradeoffs governments face in balancing inclusion with public opinion

  • Lightning talks showcasing novel methods, including WhatsApp-based surveys, participatory research in fragile states, and tracking climate-linked mobility

The closing roundtable explored the future of displacement research in a polarized global environment. Topics included safeguarding evidence use amid shrinking civic space, embedding research in systems design, and increasing collaboration with local researchers and institutions.

This meeting reinforced FDWG’s core commitment to policy-relevant, field-informed, and collaborative research, and set the stage for future convenings with a broader geographic and thematic reach.

Please find the agenda below:

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