(Witness) warns of a famine that
will confront Palestinian refugees in Lebanon
Only if UNRWA takes a preemptive
move
Before the removal of subsidies on
basic commodities
It is
undoubtedly that the economic and social status of the Palestinian refugees in
Lebanon has increased in difficulty and complexity after a series of crises
that they faced in Lebanon during the past and current period, the most
important of which were:
1.The crisis caused by the former Minister of Labor against
Palestinian workers in July 2018, and the arbitrary dismissal of many
Palestinian workers caused by those measures and decisions.
2.The Lebanese protests on October 17th – October
Revolution, which crippled the economic activity, caused work stoppage,
exacerbated the economic and social status of the refugees.
3.The Coronavirus pandemic at the beginning of the year 2020 in
Lebanon, which shattered every piece of hope for getting a job that would, at
least, enhance the conditions for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
Despite the
legal responsibility of UNRWA, especially during crises, it has undertaken
timid steps, just like the one-time cash assistance, whose value does not
exceed $ 20 for every person, as well as it was not recorded that UNRWA
launched an urgent appeal to the international community, expressing the true
reality.
The media
recently reported that the Central Bank, in light of the decrease of foreign
exchange reserves, has fears that it will not be able to continue supporting
basic commodities (medicines, fuels, flour, wheat, sugar, rice ...) after the
next three months. Proceeding from this, there are real risks facing
Palestinian refugees in terms of their inability to purchase these goods mainly
due to the difficult economic and social conditions. And unless there is a
pre-emptive move, we are on the verge of a famine that will destroy what is
remained from the structure of the Palestinian refugee community in Lebanon.
In light of the
looming dangers, we in the Palestinian Association for Human Rights
(witness) call on UNRWA to assume its legal and moral responsibilities
towards the refugees and to start its preemptive steps to confront this
disaster through:
1.Launching urgent appeals to donors and the international community
to secure emergency funding that would enable them to cover the basic needs of
refugees.
2.Restoring the program of providing in-kind goods to all Palestinian
refugees throughout the crisis period.
3.Call for holding an international donor conference to provide
permanent financial and economic support to Palestinian refugees.
August 31, 2020
Palestinian Association for Human
Rights (witness)