The institute conducts policy-related research at the international level, concentrating primarily on countries undergoing substantial structural changes and nation building.
Fafo has on-going projects in Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia as well as in the Middle East.
Fafo in the Middle East
Fafo started its research activities in the Middle East at the end of the 1980s. Since then, a wide array of issues have been thoroughly studied, among those are living conditions, demography, impact of structural adjustment programs, poverty, the Israel-Arab conflict, the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory and Palestinian refugees.
Fafos regional office for the Middle East is located in Amman, Jordan.
Syrian Arab Republic
Fafo’s activities in Syria dates back to 1996, when an academic collaboration with Damascus University was started, formalized by a cooperation agreement signed in 1997. The relationship has resulted in a number of workshops and seminars addressing applied, policy-relevant socio-economic research both in Damascus and Oslo.
Fafo has studied the situation of Palestinian refugees in the country, following similar studies in the occupied Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Jordan. The project has been implemented through cooperation with the Syrian government and the Central Bureau of Statistics in Damascus.
With the partial financial support of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fafo is currently working on a new project in Syria. The project will provide labor market and living conditions’ statistics to be used in the Syrian policy-making processes.
Lebanon
In Lebanon, Fafo has conducted a study of living conditions among Palestinian refugees in camp-like areas. They have also contributed to other surveys of living standards among the Lebanese population.