United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Dec 2005
InterWorks conducted a national level, three-day workshop on Environmental Management in Refugee Situations in Lusaka, Zambia from 6–8 December 2005. Participants represented UNHCR, government and NGOs. The workshop was based on training materials developed by InterWorks. Key learning objectives included: describing potential environmental impacts of refugee populations; identifying UNHCR’s role in addressing these impacts; describing the environmental assessment processes and tools; identifying several environmental management strategies; and preparing a community environmental action plan. Specific to Zambia, the workshop was modified to include key environmental issues affecting refugee camps/settlements and host communities; small scare agriculture; post-repatriation camp rehabilitation, and a focus on map making skills at a different scale.
The workshop has given me a broader picture of environmental management issues and I hope the knowledge obtained would be “infectious” to my colleagues for better managed camp and hosting community.
– Workshop participant