MER Article

Artificial Humanitarianism—The Data-Driven Future of Refugee Responses

In Jordan’s Za’atari refugee camp, to pay for food at one of the World Food Programme (WFP)’s distribution centers, Syrian refugees must lean into an iris scanner that registers their biometrics. The scanner then logs their transaction onto the program’s blockchain network: Building Blocks. Za’atari

Samer Abboud • 9 min read

Current Analysis

Artificial Humanitarianism—The Data-Driven Future of Refugee Responses

AI and big data are changing contemporary humanitarianism for better and worse.

Samer Abboud • 9 min read

MER Article

An Interview with William Carter, Sudan Country Director for the Norwegian Refugee Council

The war in Sudan that began in April 2023 has led to a reckoning among humanitarian aid organizations. As international organizations have struggled to alleviate the diverse, complex crises facing people across the country, locally led initiatives and mutual aid organizations have sprung up at the grassroots level. To speak

William Carter, Nisrin Elamin, Deen Sharp • 10 min read

Current Analysis

Jordan’s Syrian Refugee Response and Discriminatory Development Aid

The labor-oriented migration policies celebrated by European donors leave many more vulnerable.

Shaddin Almasri • 10 min read

MER Article

“We Don’t Have the Luxury to Stop”—An Interview with Syrian Civil Society Activist Oula Ramadan

Observers often summarize the past ten years in Syria in numbers: more than 500,000 killed, 100,000 disappeared, half the population of 22 million displaced, hundreds of billions of dollars of property destroyed and 90 percent of the population currently living in poverty. These shocking figures lay

Oula Ramadan, Wendy Pearlman • 14 min read

Current Analysis

Yemeni Freedom and Mobility Dreams

Yemenis forced to leave their war-torn home not only flee to neighboring countries, they also head south across the Indian Ocean to the European Union's furthest outpost: the French-administered island of Mayotte. Bogumila Hall tells the stories of migrants who make grueling journeys south and north

Bogumila Hall • 12 min read

MER Article

Syrian Refugees Navigate Turkey’s Shifting Health Care Terrain

Registered Syrian refugees in Turkey are allowed to access free state health care. But the language barrier, registration difficulties and prejudice led to the emergence of informal clinics run by refugee doctors. Although the government has opened Migrant Health Centers to ease access and replace i

Nihal Kayali • 14 min read

Current Analysis

Syrian Refugees Navigate Turkey’s Shifting Health Care Terrain

Registered Syrian refugees in Turkey are allowed to access free state health care. But the language barrier, registration difficulties and prejudice led to the emergence of informal clinics run by refugee doctors. Although the government has opened Migrant Health Centers to ease access and replace i

Nihal Kayali • 14 min read

Covid-19 Coverage

Voices from the Middle East: Palestinian Refugees in the West Bank Confront the COVID-19 Crisis

Refugees everywhere are particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic. Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza are legally under the protection of the UN and Israel. Are these authorities meeting their obligations? Amahl Bishara talks to Badil director Nidal Al-Azza to find out and to lear

Amahl Bishara, Nidal Al-Azza • 9 min read

Covid-19 Coverage

Voices from the Middle East: On the Frontlines of Inequality in Turkey During COVID-19

Pharmacists in Turkey, like the author's parents, are working overtime to serve their communities and to adapt quickly to shifting government orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. While steps are being taken to mitigate the impact of the virus on the most vulnerable, various forms of inequality entre

Berra Can • 7 min read

Covid-19 Coverage

Voices from the Middle East: Providing Urgent Aid to Refugees in Amman, Jordan

Jordan's strict nationwide curfew and ban on car traffic in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is complicating crucial aid delivery to refugees. Amanda Lane, executive director of the Collateral Repair Project, explains how they are coping with the new restrictions and why the situation was already s

Amanda Lane • 6 min read

Covid-19 Coverage

Refugees at Risk in Jordan's Response to COVID-19

The Jordanian government's severe restrictions on movement to contain the spread of COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting refugees and low-income Jordanians. While the government has established a national fund for needy Jordanian families, resources for the large population of already insecure r

Reva Dhingra • 8 min read