Lebanon Calls for Reconsideration on Suspending UNRWA Aid

On Tuesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on donor countries to reconsider their decision to stop funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Lebanon.

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"Lebanon is an exceptional case in light of the current economic crisis, which must be taken into account," he told Dorothee Klaus, the director of UNRWA affairs in Lebanon.

This country has been in the throes of an unprecedented financial crisis since 2019 and is already hosting the largest number of refugees per capita in the world, with the government's estimation of 1.5 million to over 2 million Syrian refugees.

"Currently, 19 donor agencies have stopped or suspended grants. We can provide services until the end of March, but after this date, we do not know what will happen with our services," said Klaus.

"If this funding is not restored, all Palestinians in Lebanon will be affected, and this includes a large number of children, 2,000 patients in our clinics, and 50,000 patients who need hospital support every year in addition to a large number of patients who depend on medications," she said.

Klaus added that she is aware of the Lebanese government's efforts to host many refugees in Lebanon, noting that her agency will continue to try to persuade donors about the need to support Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

As of March 2023, the UNRWA-registered Palestinian Refugees in this country was 489,292. Their situation in this country is complicated due to the lack of opportunities to obtain a means of subsistence.

In Lebanon, for example, Palestinians are banned from 39 unionized professions, cannot work in the public sector, and have no right to own real estate.

"This means that they cannot acquire land, apartments, houses or businesses. So even if they manage to earn a reasonable income, that makes it very difficult to invest it somewhere or also for their children to inherit wealth," Klaus pointed out.