Ladies and gentlemen, organizers and participants of the VII Brussels Conference - Supporting the future of Syria and the region,
We are honored as a group of Syrian youth working together under the name of the Syrian Hope Forum. We are a voluntary, non-profit humanitarian initiative, not political. We are sending you this message to express our gratitude for your humanitarian efforts and to convey our deep concern and urgent appeal regarding the difficult conditions faced by Syrian refugees in Lebanon. We hope that you will take this into consideration in your discussions and recommendations at the VII Brussels Conference - Supporting the future of Syria and the region.
العربية
Lebanon is currently hosting approximately 1.5 million individuals from Syria, including around 805,000 refugees registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). However, there are still hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who have not been officially registered and do not receive sufficient support.
United Nations agencies indicate that 89% of Syrian refugees in Lebanon are living in extreme poverty, and approximately 700,000 individuals are suffering from food insecurity.
Syrian refugees are facing harsh and difficult living conditions, as they endure extreme poverty (less than $2.68 per day) and struggle to meet their basic needs for food, medicine, education, shelter, and electricity. This is a result of the severe economic crisis gripping the country and the limited humanitarian assistance available. In addition that the Syrian refugees are facing security and legal constrictions that hinder their access to legal residency and employment opportunities. According to available sources, the unemployment rate in Lebanon for the year 2023 stands at 29.6%.
A percentage of 43% of Syrian refugee households receive cash assistance of $25 per month per household, regardless of the family size, provided by the UNHCR. The World Food Programme (WFP), starting from May 2023, provides food assistance of $20 per month per individual for a limited number of households (with a maximum of 5 individuals per household), and there is no clear information regarding the number of beneficiaries. Assuming a family of 5 individuals receives both types of assistance, the support amounts to less than $0.84 per person per day.
In light of these challenging circumstances, we are witnessing a depletion of international support provided to assist the refugees. The UNHCR in Lebanon had announced a job opportunity (Assistant Protection Officer) with a monthly salary of approximately $3,000. Additionally, some non-profit organizations offer salaries of up to $2,000 per month for their employees, excluding transportation allowances, benefits, and bonuses. These salaries do not cover administrative and operational expenses.
On April 24, 2023, Amnesty International "The Lebanese authorities must immediately stop forcibly deporting refugees back to Syria, Amnesty International said today, amid fears that these individuals are at risk of torture or persecution at the hands of the Syrian government upon return."
It is also alarming that there are hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees awaiting the determination of their refugee status for a period that may extend up to 12 years, without the UNHCR conducting the refugee status determination process and providing them with the necessary documents to ensure the protection of their rights under international law.
Syrian refugees are experiencing extreme concern and fear due to recent developments and instances of nationality-based racism and discrimination in the digital space and media. They are living in a state of isolation and fear of harassment, detention, or forced repatriation. These refugees are in urgent need of protection and support to ensure their livelihood with dignity and safety.
Syrian refugees have faced an unhelpful response from the UNHCR in Lebanon. In a phone call, they expressed their fears of being detained or forcibly returned to Syria and requested assistance from the UNHCR to settle their legal status in the country. The response from the UNHCR staff was that there is no solution, and they should go into hiding.
It is important to consider that the Syrian refugee community in Lebanon consists of diverse and wide-ranging groups in terms of age, skills, and experiences. These individuals carry significant potential that can be utilized in various fields of work, aiming to rebuild their lives and contribute to economic and social development.
