Action Group – Damascus
The director of the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria, Fayez Abu Eid, affirmed that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) remains the primary safety net for Palestinian refugees from Syria, warning that any further reduction in its services would have direct humanitarian repercussions on their living conditions.
Abu Eid’s remarks came in the context of a report published by Al Jazeera Net concerning the situation of Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, and the future of UNRWA services in light of the agency’s financial crisis. The report included contributions from several officials and researchers specializing in Palestinian refugee issues.
Abu Eid explained that Palestinian refugees in Syria have been subjected to widespread displacement and forced migration in recent years, making their reliance on UNRWA services even more critical, both within Syria and in host countries. He stressed that the continued operation of the agency is a humanitarian necessity until a just solution is reached for the Palestinian refugee issue.
He pointed out that any decline in the UN agency’s services or any efforts to curtail its role would exacerbate the suffering of Palestinian refugees, who are already facing escalating economic and living challenges as a result of ongoing displacement and dire humanitarian conditions.
Al Jazeera Net’s report addressed the situation of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, where Ali Hweidi, Director General of the 302 Foundation for the Defense of Refugee Rights, confirmed that approximately 300,000 Palestinian refugees, including some 14,000 displaced from Syria, rely on UNRWA services amidst rising poverty and unemployment rates and ongoing legal restrictions.
The report also warned that the continued funding crisis at UNRWA could lead to further reductions in education, health, and relief services, at a time when the humanitarian needs of Palestinian refugees in the agency’s areas of operation are increasing.