Published : 03-01-2020
Director General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Lebanon, Claudio Cordone, said resettling Palestinian refugees in a third country does not make part of the Agency’s mission.
Cordone said in a statement that the Palestinians are free to choose which destination they would like to settle or seek asylum in, regardless of whether they are registered with UNRWA or not.
He pointed out that the final decisions regarding the legal status of Palestinian refugees residing in Lebanon rest with the Lebanese authorities, representatives of the Palestinian community, and the popular and security committees inside refugee camps.
Cordone added that under the Lebanese law, Palestinian refugees coming from Syria to Lebanon are considered foreigners, and therefore they are subject to the Lebanese Labor Law related to foreigners, and they cannot benefit from the privileges granted to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
On September 27, 2019, UNRWA had issued a similar statement in response to a sit-in held by members of the Youth Commission of the Palestinians of Syria outside of the UNRWA office in Beirut on September 25.
Recently, scores of Palestinian refugees from Syria have increasingly called on UNRWA to broker their humanitarian asylum in a third country, activate physical and legal protection mechanisms, and transfer the file of Palestinians from Syria to the UNHCR.
Director General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Lebanon, Claudio Cordone, said resettling Palestinian refugees in a third country does not make part of the Agency’s mission.
Cordone said in a statement that the Palestinians are free to choose which destination they would like to settle or seek asylum in, regardless of whether they are registered with UNRWA or not.
He pointed out that the final decisions regarding the legal status of Palestinian refugees residing in Lebanon rest with the Lebanese authorities, representatives of the Palestinian community, and the popular and security committees inside refugee camps.
Cordone added that under the Lebanese law, Palestinian refugees coming from Syria to Lebanon are considered foreigners, and therefore they are subject to the Lebanese Labor Law related to foreigners, and they cannot benefit from the privileges granted to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
On September 27, 2019, UNRWA had issued a similar statement in response to a sit-in held by members of the Youth Commission of the Palestinians of Syria outside of the UNRWA office in Beirut on September 25.
Recently, scores of Palestinian refugees from Syria have increasingly called on UNRWA to broker their humanitarian asylum in a third country, activate physical and legal protection mechanisms, and transfer the file of Palestinians from Syria to the UNHCR.
