Sarah Dawn Petrin is I4DI’s Conflict & Displacement Consultant. Ms. Petrin has over 20 years of experience in the humanitarian sector, leading teams in complex emergencies and advising governments, United Nations agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Sarah brings to I4DI expertise in the protection of refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs), having worked on cross-border operations including Afghanistan-Pakistan, Kenya-Somalia, U.S-Mexico, Thailand-Burma, Haiti-Dominican Republic, and the Ukraine-Russia, among other contexts.
Ms. Petrin has advised numerous international organizations on the Syria crisis. She authored the report Syrian Women in Crisis: Obstacles and Opportunities, comparing livelihood data prior to the war with labor force participation rates of refugee women in Lebanon and Jordan. She also advised the Task Force on Women’s and Family Health at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, reporting on Health Implications of the Global Refugee Crisis, documenting the rising phenomenon of adolescent girls giving birth in camps due to early marriage.
Ms. Petrin is an expert on the Protection of Civilians (PoC) in conflict operations, having advised the U.S. Army, NATO and UN peacekeepers on practical ways to protect civilians in military operations, including appropriate ways to coordinate with humanitarian actors and civil society. She is also the Founder of Protect the People (PTP) nonprofit, which merged with the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) in January 2018. Ms. Petrin is currently managing a network of humanitarian experts supporting conflict and disaster programs worldwide.
