Research project

His research project touches upon the environment-forced migration nexus under the overall umbrella of the UN's sustainable development goals framework. In an era where 197 countries committed to achieving an ambitious development agenda that vows to eradicate poverty and promote peaceful and inclusive societies while tackling environmental degradation and climate change, around 1% of the world population is forcefully displaced due to violent conflict and is eventually titled "refugee". Also, a rise in anti-refugee sentiment is recorded globally under the pretext of refugees exacerbating environmental degradation and hindering development. These claims are however not substantiated by science even though they are sometimes driving policies. A large body of academic research already establishes the added value that refugees can bring into their hosting societies, from both the economic and socio-cultural perspectives. 

In an aim to support the third pillar of sustainable development, the natural environment, this research fills a part of the knowledge gap around the environmental impact of forced migration by testing environmental variables against anthropogenic activity by refugee communities under controlled climatic parameters. This would eventually either support or refute the claims that hold refugees responsible for the degrading state of the environment in host communities and would also equip the concerned policymakers with the necessary knowledge and tools to draft science-informed policy.

Interests

Public policy, human behavioral sciences, migration and conflict, management of the commons, sustainable development, indicator-based decision making, governance, and food security.

Academic and professional training

He holds two Masters' degrees from the Lebanese University, one in Biology along with a Teaching Diploma (2008), and another in Phyto-Ecology (2013) which he completed with honors. He also holds a professional diploma on Water Conservation from the American University of Beirut (2018). Additionally, he completed several training and continuing education diplomas that cover issues related to global environmental policy, research techniques, green economies, humanitarian norms and principles, sustainable development, and governance and allocation of resources in emergencies (SPHERE), among other topics.

Kamil’s professional experience revolves around natural resources and sustainable development. Before joining the University of Geneva, he had been working for UN-Environment’s Regional Office for West Asia, and later for the UN-Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia on issues of sustainable development policy with a particular focus on environmental policy, and food security policy and monitoring. 

Throughout his professional career, he contributed to the production of several flagship UN reports (such as the Arab Horizon 2030, Sustainable Development Report, and Pathways Towards Food Security), fact sheets, and technical papers, through desk research, data collection and analysis, and drafting of background documents and policy recommendations. He also has extensive experience in teaching (2008-2018) and was invited on several occasions to deliver lectures and seminars at the American University of Beirut, and to deliver training and capacity-building workshops at the League of Arab States’ Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) and other inter-governmental institutions and international non-governmental organizations.

Publications