Lebanon

Year-end Overview

Working environment

More than six years into the conflict inside Syrian Arab Republic (Syria), Lebanon generously hosts more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees who have very limited prospects for durable solutions. The reception fatigue of hosting communities is rising. Localized tensions are observed over perceived competition for jobs, services and resources, and social stability and cohesion is being put to test.
 
Preserving the well-being and dignity of the refugees is a challenge, as 71 per cent of the Syrian refugees and 68 per cent of refugees of other nationalities live below the national poverty line. With limited livelihood opportunities and increasing debts to landlords and shop owners, refugees remain vulnerable and reliant on humanitarian assistance.
 
The breakthrough on legal residency achieved in 2017, with the waiver of renewal fees for certain categories of Syrians will reduce some of the protection risks and increase                    refugees’ freedom of movement. UNHCR will continue supporting the authorities’ implementation of the renewal exercise, and promote an expansion of the waiver to reach refugees currently not covered. The restrictions on admission to territory, and suspension of UNHCR registration, introduced in October 2014, remain in force. This severely limits UNHCR’s ability to comprehensively capture the protection needs of all refugees and plan and facilitate durable solutions outside of Lebanon.
 
Resettlement remains the only durable solution currently available for refugees in Lebanon. Of major concern is therefore the anticipated decrease in resettlement quotas, making the preservation of the asylum space even more challenging. Meanwhile, most of the Syrian refugees indicate voluntary return as their preferred solution, and that security and safety in Syria is the key factor influencing future decisions regarding return. Though the situation in Syria is not yet conducive for returns, some individual, spontaneous returns could take place. UNHCR will closely monitor development in Syria and adjust its preparedness should conditions gradually become more conducive to return.
 
The root causes of statelessness in Lebanon remain and include the lack of registration of individuals in the 1932 national census, gaps in the nationality law, and a complex civil registration system.
 
Under the overall leadership of the Government of Lebanon and the UN Resident Coordinator, UNHCR coordinates the humanitarian response to refugees in Lebanon and maintains its leadership on the refugee component of the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) 2017-2020, a common framework for the Government and humanitarian and development actors who work towards shared humanitarian and stabilization objectives. UNHCR continues to play a leadership role in inter-agency and inter-sector working groups to ensure the centrality of refugee issues in planning and implementation.
 

Key priorities

 
In 2018, UNHCR will focus on:
 

• Preserving the asylum space for the Syrian refugees for as long as they need protection, and preventing premature returns.
• Ensuring adequate protection, and finding durable solutions, for refugees of nationalities other than Syrian (mainly Iraqis).
• Preserving the well-being and dignity of refugees including through cash assistance to meet their basic needs and supporting access to health care, education and adequate shelter and water, sanitation and hygiene services.
• Provision of legal assistance to stateless people.