Global Refugee Forum: Addressing the Needs of 35 Million Refugees Worldwide

Around 35 million refugees worldwide are being followed upon by the UNHCR. For this purpose, the Global Refugee Forum is organized and scheduled to take place in Geneva from the 13th to the 15th of this month. The forum aims to achieve four goals:

1- Alleviate the pressure on host countries.

2- Enhance self-reliance for refugees.

3- Expand access to third-country solutions, meaning the resettlement of refugees in a country other than the one they fled to.

4- Support conditions in the countries of origin for a safe and dignified return.

Lebanon, facing serious repercussions from the Syrian displacement, participates in this forum with Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib. 

They will raise the following demands:

•  The return of Syrian refugees.

•  Ensure funds only for supporting host Lebanese communities and relevant administrations, with UNHCR determining the value of these funds.

•  Reject direct funding for refugees, as it poses a risk to their settlement in Lebanon.

•  Demand access to the data held by UNHCR.

•  Propose the idea of consolidating small informal camps into one camp near the Syrian border.

The UNHCR estimates its financial needs in Lebanon currently at $560 million. As the burdens increased and funds decreased, this led to the suspension of aid to 80,000 displaced families this year. Regarding the number of displaced, 795,000 are registered with the UNHCR, which stopped registering refugees in 2015 at the request of Lebanese authorities.

The number of Syrian beneficiaries is 1,126,000, with the difference between registered and beneficiaries due to family members joining or being born after 2015. However, estimates from the General Security indicate that the number of displaced is 1,500,000, and the total number of Syrians in Lebanon is approximately 2,050,000.