Rabih Torbay, Senior Advisor, Humanitarian Affairs, Policy and International Relations.

Paper title: “Urban Displacement and Redrawing New Borders”

Paper abstract: Over 60% of the world’s 19.5 million refugees, and 80% of the 34 million IDPs live in urban environments,” according to UNHCR. In the Middle East, more than 90% of those displaced live in non-camp urban settings. NGOs and the UN need to retool their response to accommodate urban displacement. Furthermore, the world needs to recognize the fact that new borders might be redrawn in the region: Borders based on religious and ethnic affiliations.