Nordeco will during the first half of 2010 implement a major Socio-economic and Environmental Study of the Impact of the Refugee Camps in Dadaab, Kenya. The purpose of the study is to ‘assess the socio-economic and environmental impact of the refugee camps in Dadaab on the surrounding areas, including the host community in order to furnish knowledge to assess options for mitigation of negative impacts and optimization of beneficial opportunities’. The presence of the three refugee camps in Dadaab, which together are currently the biggest refugee settlement in the world hosting around 300.000 refugees, has socio-economic as well as an environmental impact on the surrounding areas. The knowledge of the extent of the impact – positive as well as negative – remains anecdotal. The study will (1) Assess the social and economic benefits and challenges that the presence and size of the Dadaab refugee camps have on the host community and Kenya at large; (2) Assess the environmental impact of the Dadaab refugee camps on the surrounding area; (3) Identify and assess options for addressing the negative impact and optimizing the positive elements of the socio-economic impact of the Dadaab refugee camps; (4) Based on these options, provide recommendations for improved sustainable presence of the refugees (incl. camp management and durable solutions for refugees & host community).