From Fragmentation to Resilience: Advancing Just Water–Energy Solutions in Jerash Refugee Camp, Jordan

Maha Al-Zu'bi, International Water Management Institute (Jordan)

Jerash Camp (Gaza Camp), home to over 33,000 Palestinian refugees, is one of Jordan’s most underserved urban settlements. It faces severe climate-induced hazards—water scarcity, flash flooding, and extreme heat -exacerbated by institutional fragmentation, degraded infrastructure, and socio-economic marginalization. Despite these compounding risks, Jerash camp remains largely excluded from national climate and water strategies. This abstract draws on a recent climate risk and vulnerability assessment that integrates hydrological profiling, policy analysis, and community perspectives. It proposes a decentralized and just adaptation approach centered on community-managed rainwater harvesting, rooftop solar installations for clinics and schools, greywater reuse, and green urban cooling. These interventions are low-cost, locally implementable, and aligned with Jordan’s national adaptation goals. Critically, the work highlights how hybrid governance -- linking UNRWA, municipal authorities, and grassroots organizations -- can be leveraged to restore trust in institutions and deliver essential services. By embedding inclusive water-energy solutions into national planning and climate finance pathways, Jerash Camp can serve as a replicable model for environmental peacebuilding in protracted displacement settings.