The future of refugee integration

As climate disasters intensify worldwide and displacement reaches historic levels, understanding the economic foundations of integration and their fragility in the face of climate shocks, has become critical for policymakers everywhere. Join experts on refugee integration and climate policy leaders for a film screening and conversation on how to promote the integration of refugees in an era of climate disruption.

The award-winning documentary Community Interrupted follows refugees and host communities in East Africa as they navigate the fragile process of integration in one of the world's most impoverished and climate-vulnerable regions.

The film reveals a striking pattern: when economic security improves for both refugees and hosts, social cohesion flourishes, trust grows, friendships form across groups, and communities are willing to share resources. But when a devastating cyclone strikes, destroying livelihoods and economic gains, these hard-won social bonds rapidly unravel. This screening and expert panel discussion explores the global implications of these findings for refugee integration policy.

This screening and expert panel discussion explores the global implications of these findings for refugee integration policy. As climate disasters intensify worldwide and displacement reaches historic levels, understanding the economic foundations of integration and their fragility in the face of climate shocks, has become critical for policymakers everywhere. Join experts on refugee integration and climate policy leaders for a conversation on how to promote the integration of refugees in an era of climate disruption.

Meet our speakers and chair

Sir Andrew Steer, is a Professor in Practice in the Global School of Sustainability at LSE (GSoS) and the International Growth Centre (IGC). He is also Distinguished Research Professor of the Practice in Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service and the Earth Commons and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Sir Andrew served, most recently (2021-2025) as the inaugural President and CEO of the $10 billion Bezos Earth Fund, the world's largest philanthropy for nature and climate, investing in systems change across nature protection, food and agriculture, industrial and energy decarbonization, financial reform, and the application of AI and big data. He was President and CEO of the World Resources Institute (2012-2021). Previously, he served as Special Envoy for Climate Change at the World Bank, Director General at the UK’s Department of International Development, and Director of the World Bank in East Asia. He serves on the UK Foreign Secretary’s External Foreign Policy Board, is co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Futures Council on Innovative Finance; and a member of the boards of BRAC, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, and the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development.

Vicky Tennant is the UNHCR Representative to the United Kingdom. She heads an office responsible for UNHCR’s advocacy, legal protection and policy activity relating to asylum-seeking and refugee resettlement in the UK. This includes relations with the UK Government and the refugee sector. Vicky has had a distinguished career with UNHCR since 2000 and she has been supporting refugees in a diverse range of countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and Myanmar. She is also a member of the English Bar.

Sandra Sequeira is a Professor in Development Economics at the School of Public Policy at the LSE. Her research focusses on migration, social cohesion and building state capacity, particularly in the developing world. She is the founder and co-director of the Centre for Economic Policy Research’s Research Policy Network on the Political Economy of Migration and she produced the documentary “Community Interrupted”.

More about this event

This event is part of the LSE Festival: How to save the planet running from Monday 15 to Saturday 20 June 2026. This year's Festival explores how existential threats including the climate crisis, conflict and AI are affecting all parts of the world, transforming the way and where we live, and how our societies function. With a series of events asking what can we be doing to save the Earth, its people and environment? Booking for all Festival events will open on Monday 18 May.

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