On June 20 of each year, the world observes World Refugee Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the issues and challenges faced by refugees and people whose lives are threatened in their homelands. It also serves to highlight their suffering and explore ways to provide greater support for them.
On this occasion, (Witness) reminds the world that the Palestinian refugee is not just a number in UN statistics, but a living witness to the crime of forced displacement committed in 1948 — a crime whose consequences persist to this day. More than 6.4 million Palestinian refugees live in the diaspora under harsh conditions, with no prospect for a just solution that guarantees their human dignity and legitimate rights.
Palestinian refugees across all areas of their presence live in catastrophic humanitarian conditions, which may vary in form but all stem from the same political root: displacement and denial of fundamental rights.
•In Gaza, refugees face an unprecedented humanitarian disaster due to the ongoing war and suffocating blockade. Thousands of families have lost their homes, and securing food, medicine, and education has become a daily struggle.
•In Lebanon and Syria, hundreds of thousands of refugees live in camps that lack the most basic requirements for a dignified life. They suffer from legal and social marginalization, in addition to the severe decline in UNRWA’s services — their only lifeline.
•In Jerusalem and the West Bank, refugees are deprived of exercising their right of return and are targeted by systematic settlement policies that directly threaten their existence and identity.
(Witness) affirms that the continued denial of the right of return and the attempts to liquidate the refugee issue — including pressure on UNRWA or cutting its services — represent a grave violation of the core principles established in international agreements, including the 1951 Refugee Convention and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness) considers World Refugee Day an opportunity to raise awareness about the suffering of Palestinian refugees, express solidarity with them, and advocate for sustained support. Therefore, (Witness) recommends the following:
1️⃣ The international community must provide increased funding to enable UNRWA to fulfill its humanitarian obligations toward refugees.
2️⃣ The international community must stand firmly with the Palestinian people, their just cause, and their right to self-determination and return to their homes and properties from which they were displaced — in accordance with relevant international laws.
3️⃣ Host Arab countries are urged to improve the living conditions of Palestinian refugees.
4️⃣ Legislation should be enacted to guarantee the human dignity of refugees until their safe and dignified return to their homes and properties.
Beirut – June 20, 2025
The Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness)