EVENTS
CHRISTOPH BIERWIRTH Head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Liaison Office to the OSCE and Vienna-based UN agencies “The sheer size of today’s global displacement challenges requires increased involvement of development actors in a comprehensive response, in particular in view of working toward durable solutions. The overarching principle of ‘leaving no one behind’ which guides the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offers direction as many of the SDGs can be applied in the refugee context. I was pleased that today’s discussions allowed us to look at displacement scenarios and to exchange experience and lessons learned in
a more comprehensive manner. It is important to consider host populations and displaced people equally. Cooperation of development and humanitarian actors helps to develop common strategies, response plans and consolidated action, and to align advocacy efforts. The world is so complex that working alone is not an option and synergies must be found to maximise the use of limited resources, in order to mitigate suffering and create a future for refugees, displaced populations and the societies that host them. It’s important for the different actors to get together for events like this, but also for specific training exercises.”
MÉLISSA BADER
Advisor on International and Humanitarian Affairs, Office of the Minister of State for Displaced Affairs
“Lebanon continues to be a large haven for
refugees. The majority are Syrians (950,000 registered, and an estimated 300,000 unregistered) and Palestinians (225,000*). Hosting a refugee population amounting to 40
percent of a country’s total population requires not only hospitality, but also resilience and courage. The capacity of host communities and government infrastructure is being overstretched and exhausted. Tensions have increased between refugees and host communities due to competition for limited resources and job opportunities. The Office of the Minister for Displaced Affairs has promoted key protection oriented policies, including: • Maintaining respect for the principle of ‘non-refoulement’ (the practice of not forcing refugees or asylum seekers to return to a country in which they are liable to be subjected to persecution) and ensuring that any return to Syria is voluntary and undertaken in coordination with UNHCR.
• Improving refugee freedom of movement by waiving residency fees and respecting the right of refugees to access livelihood opportunities (allowing refugees to work mainly in the three sectors of construction, agriculture
and environment).
• Preventing statelessness by granting Syrian refugees access to civil documentation. As much as the government of Lebanon believes in developing protection oriented policies for refugees in countries of first asylum – and forums relating to discussing solutions – it believes that the root causes of forced migration should be addressed, especially in cases of conflict, via a proper and real application of international law (rather than political interests). We insist on the right of return of displaced people from Syria to their country of origin. We are committed to facilitating this return, based on plans set out and coordinated by the United Nations, where the safety of refugees is guaranteed even if the war has not ended.”
“Hosting a huge refugee population requires not only hospitality, but also
resilience and courage”
*According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) 449,957 Palestinian refugees have been registered in Lebanon.
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