(Witness):
UNRWA statement regarding the decision of the Minister of Labor
Did not adopt
the demands of the Palestinian refugees to exempt them from the requirement to
obtain a work permit
The Palestinian Association for Human
Rights (witness) issued a statement on 18 July 2019 entitled "Why UNRWA
did not register a position on the decision of the Minister of Labor"
demanding UNRWA administration to issue a clear position on the decision taken
by the Lebanese Minister of Labor to impose a work permit on the Palestinian
worker In Lebanon, and followed it by the closure of a number of institutions
run by Palestinians. This decision also
created a state of serious concern among the Palestinian employers and workers alike.
The Palestinian refugees then held
large-scale protest on this decision, leading to mass demonstrations on Friday,
19 May 2019, and the closure of the entrance of products to the camps. The
resolution also formed a formal and factionalism reaction of Lebanese and
Palestinian that demands the minister to return to the previous formula or
organize the Palestinian labor in a way that preserves their rights and dignity
through a clear and consistent legal system.
More than seven days after the
decision was issued and subsequent responses, UNRWA issued a statement
supporting the minister's decision on the condition of obtaining work permits
for Palestinian workers in Lebanon through a phrase that carries many risks and
the absence of any future guarantee "Facilitating obtaining permits"
and not canceling this requirement.
"UNRWA urges the Lebanese
authorities to take the necessary measures, including those that facilitate the
granting of work permits for Palestine refugees, taking into account the
specific situation of those refugees in Lebanon." UNRWA looks forward to
finding solutions to this and other issues in an atmosphere of dialogue and
justice.”
We at the Palestinian Association
for Human Rights (witness) demand that the UNRWA administration stand on the
demands of the Palestinian people and their political forces, which are
summarized in this current round of struggle by exempting the refugee from the
requirement of obtaining a work permit since they are refugees and not
foreigners, and to benefit from social
security benefits in clear fairness, and allow Palestinian refugees to work in
liberal professions such as engineering, medicine, pharmacy and others.
Beirut, 20/7/2019
Palestinian
Association for Human Rights (witness)