Watch the event recording

About the event

We are delighted to invite you to the online launch of our latest report: “WASH in Humanitarian Crises: Setting the research agenda up to 2030” taking place on Wednesday 5 July 2023 at 14:00 BST. Join us to hear from WASH researchers and practitioners exploring how best they can collaborate to implement the research agenda, and how any anticipated challenges can be mitigated. 

Funded by Elrha, the WASH research priority setting was conducted by researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Tufts University in collaboration with the Global WASH cluster. Using a consultative approach based on the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) methodology, WASH evidence gaps were identified and prioritised to inform a WASH in crises research agenda to cover the next 10 years.

The WASH in crises research agenda has three objectives: 

1. To identify areas of consensus on research gaps that must be prioritised to meet WASH policy and practice needs.
2. To direct donor funding towards these priorities.
3. To foster a collaborative environment for WASH in crises research that facilitates dialogue between WASH practitioners, researchers and policymakers. 

The WASH in crises research agenda serves as a guide for researchers, humanitarian practitioners and funding agencies, providing a prioritised list of research questions that, when answered, will contribute to improved WASH policy and practice in humanitarian crises. 

The webinar will be moderated by Laura Paris, Senior Humanitarian Health Research Advisor for Elrha’s R2HC programme. Guest panelists include: 

• Lauren D’Mello Guyett, Assistant Professor, LSHTM 
• Monica Ramos, UNICEF Coordinator of the Global WASH Cluster Coordinator 
• Arwa Abdelhay, Professor, Civil and Environment Engineering Department, Jordanian University 
• Ibrahim Sheikh, Emergency WASH Program Manager and technical lead, CARE Somalia 

Meet the speakers

Lauren D’Mello-Guyett

Lauren D’Mello-Guyett is an Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Her research focuses on the epidemiology of WASH-related diseases and the evaluation of WASH interventions in humanitarian crises contexts. Lauren collaborates with a range of implementing organisations and multilateral agencies including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Action Contre La Faim (ACF), Oxfam and UNICEF. 

Monica Ramos

Monica is the UNICEF Coordinator of the Global WASH cluster, based in Geneva. She has more than 20 years’ experience managing and advising on WASH in humanitarian emergencies and integrated WASH programming. With a professional background in Water and Waste Engineering, Monica has has worked for NGOs, the UN and funders of WASH emergency response. 

Professor Arwa Abdelhay

Prof. Arwa Abdelhay is a full professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department of the German Jordanian University, and Coordinator of the humanitarian WASH MSc. Programme in Jordan. She has a 15 + years of experience in the water and sanitation sector.  

Ibrahim Sheikh

Ibrahim is Emergency WASH Program Manager and technical lead, CARE Somalia. With a Masters in Community Health and Development, and trained as a WASH Specialist in Humanitarian Emergencies, he has more than 15 years’ experience of WASH programming in crisis contexts.  

Moderator: Laura Paris

Laura is Senior Humanitarian Health Research Advisor for Elrha’s R2HC programme. With a professional and academic background in infectious disease prevention and control, she has worked in humanitarian settings with NGOs, the UN and research institutions.