Mobilizing Partnerships for Scalable Housing Recovery Solutions Across Arab Cities and Beyond

The "Scaling Housing Recovery Solutions: A Partner Matchmaking Session for Arab Cities and Beyond" is a strategic networking convening designed to address the critical implementation gap between academic research and urban operational reality. Recognizing that housing is a fundamental pillar of protection and social cohesion, this session focuses on the Arab region—where conflict, displacement, and environmental shocks are compounded by informal settlement expansion and overcrowding. By positioning universities and research labs as "knowledge brokers," the event facilitates a direct pipeline between evidence-based innovation and the practical constraints of municipalities, UN agencies, and civil society. While the primary focus is on Arab urban centers, the session intentionally integrates "beyond" perspectives, specifically targeting African urban contexts to foster comparative learning and transferability. This approach reflects the shared realities of cities like those in Sudan and Libya, where cross-regional knowledge is vital for resilience. The session moves past standard discussions by utilizing facilitated, thematic roundtables centered on tenure security, emergency-to-durable housing transitions, and gender-sensitive governance. It is a highly structured environment where institutional capacities—including data, training, and policy advisory—are systematically matched to the specific needs of implementing partners to ensure that the dialogue translates into scalable, rights-based housing recovery initiatives across diverse crisis-affected geographies. Session Objectives: 1. Establish an academic-led community of practice by formalising a long-term network of universities and urban research labs with defined membership and thematic working groups. 2. Produce a partner match matrix that aligns research capacities (data, methods, toolkits, policy advisory) with the operational priorities of municipal and national housing actors. 3. Embed inclusive recovery governance by integrating gender-sensitive and data-informed approaches that prioritise refugees, IDPs, and other vulnerable groups. 4. Secure a time-bound follow-up roadmap with clear commitments to translate session outputs into sustained collaborations and on-the-ground impact.