Published : 30-01-2021
Palestinian refugees and human rights activists continue to level heavy criticism at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) over delays in humanitarian aid delivery.
Speaking with AGPS, a number of refugees said UNRWA has been using the funding crisis as a clichéd pretext for delayed aid distribution, saying their humanitarian situation in the Middle Eastern country has sharply deteriorated.
The refugees added that UNRWA should have delivered aid dispatched by the European Trust Fund and the World Food Program. They pointed the finger at UNRWA officials whom they said have been benefiting from the deposited sums.
UNRWA has identified PRS in Lebanon as one of the most marginalized and poorest communities in the region.
In its 2020 Syria crisis emergency appeal, UNRWA said that PRS in Lebanon continue to face high vulnerability and marginalization, making them heavily reliant on UNRWA humanitarian support to cover their basic needs. The socio-economic hardship and unrest experienced by the country have compounded PRS’ already dire living conditions.
According to a survey conducted by the American University of Beirut in 2015, nearly 90 percent of the PRS population in Lebanon live in poverty, including 9 per cent who are in extreme poverty and unable to meet even their most essential food requirements.
PRS’s vulnerability is further compounded by their precarious legal status. The lack of a valid legal status, often coupled with outdated civil registration documents, results in severely restricted freedom of movement for some PRS in Lebanon due to fear of arrest, detention or forced deportation.
Palestinian refugees and human rights activists continue to level heavy criticism at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) over delays in humanitarian aid delivery.
Speaking with AGPS, a number of refugees said UNRWA has been using the funding crisis as a clichéd pretext for delayed aid distribution, saying their humanitarian situation in the Middle Eastern country has sharply deteriorated.
The refugees added that UNRWA should have delivered aid dispatched by the European Trust Fund and the World Food Program. They pointed the finger at UNRWA officials whom they said have been benefiting from the deposited sums.
UNRWA has identified PRS in Lebanon as one of the most marginalized and poorest communities in the region.
In its 2020 Syria crisis emergency appeal, UNRWA said that PRS in Lebanon continue to face high vulnerability and marginalization, making them heavily reliant on UNRWA humanitarian support to cover their basic needs. The socio-economic hardship and unrest experienced by the country have compounded PRS’ already dire living conditions.
According to a survey conducted by the American University of Beirut in 2015, nearly 90 percent of the PRS population in Lebanon live in poverty, including 9 per cent who are in extreme poverty and unable to meet even their most essential food requirements.
PRS’s vulnerability is further compounded by their precarious legal status. The lack of a valid legal status, often coupled with outdated civil registration documents, results in severely restricted freedom of movement for some PRS in Lebanon due to fear of arrest, detention or forced deportation.
