The 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee as someone who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country”.
The protection space for Syrian refugees in Lebanon has been substantially impacted by a number of measures put in place in Lebanon since 2015. Admission to Lebanon is currently restricted to those who can provide valid identity documents and proof that their stay in Lebanon fits into one of the approved reasons for entry. Seeking refuge in Lebanon is not among the valid reasons for entry, other than in exceptional circumstances approved by the Ministry of Social Affairs.
The registration of Syrian refugees by UNHCR in Lebanon was suspended by the Government in 2015. While UNHCR continues to update data on the previously registered population, UNHCR advocates for the resumption of registration activities so as to better manage needs and responses in Lebanon.
For asylum-seekers with nationalities other than Syrian, UNHCR continues to conduct refugee status determination (RSD) in order to identify international protection needs and durable solutions.