Annual Report 2016

1. Partner information

Name of applying organization: Association Najdeh

Contact person: Leila El Ali – Executive Director

e-mail:

Requested funding type: core funding

2. Context analysis*

The presidential election took place in Lebanon in October 2016, after a period of 29 months of a political paralysis for not having an agreement among the different political parties on one and common president. Later, the government (the council of ministries) also was formed headed by El Hariri as the Prime minister. While the ministerial statement avoided Lebanese commitments towards the improvement of Palestinian human rights and living conditions it called upon the international community and UN agencies to hold their full responsibilities and continue the financial support to UNRWA and for the reconstruction of Nahr Al Bard. Meanwhile, the president in his Parliamentary speech has mentioned that any reconciliation in the Syria conflict should take into consideration the returning of displaced Syrian to their home country. It is to be noticed that the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon has exceeded 1.5 million, without including the PRS families.

Still, Palestine refugees in Lebanon (PRL) face one of the worst socioeconomic conditions in the five UNRWA operational countries. A little short of two thirds of the PRL population is poor, a proportion that has not changed since 2010, and the discriminatory laws against them hinder their ability to improve their living conditions and livelihoods. Decaying infrastructure, a dearth of recreational spaces, insufficient access to roads, deteriorated water and sewage treatment systems, contaminated water, and jerry-rigged electrical wires along with open drainage ditches paint a gloomy picture of camps where over 63 per cent of PRL reside.

Today, the state of PRL is considered as one of protracted refugees, rather than refugees fleeing from recent conflict. Since 2011, when the conflict in Syria began, an increasing number of Palestine refugees from Syria have sought safety and refuge in Lebanon. According to UNRWA registration figures and a study by the AUB, their numbers were 42,284 (as of November 2015). The arrival of PRS has added further pressure on the infrastructure and services within existing Palestine refugee camps and the surrounding areas and edges of the camps.

The Palestinian refugees suffering continued they continued to be deprived of their basic human and civil rights, UNRWA continued in cutting off its different main services and responsibilities, while the refugees were having hopes in the improvement of their lives with the election of the Lebanese president. While it is officially confirmed that UNRWA will continue in this austerity policy, especially in the health and education sectors starting from January 2016.

All of these negative actions were considered by Palestinians as a backlash from the International community and the Lebanon on their commitments toward right to return as well as the improvement of the human and socioeconomic situation. In addition, these were considered to end/cancel the refugees’ cause / right to return by pushing Palestinian refugees in Lebanon to choose immigration as the only possible solution for their sufferings.

In response to these news challenges; approaches followed were:

a- Collective and common actions, demands and appeals, including protests were organized against UNRWA policy, budget and service declining with the participation of local NGOs, political factions, etc. As a result, sectoral /programmatic committees were formed between UNRWA and Palestinian entities discussing alternative plans for UNRWA reduction of services. Consequently, UNRWA plans for some services /programmes were revised and updated based on demands.

b- Strengthening the coordination among local NGOs and raising their voice on the severe socio-economic conditions of PRL and PRS by organizing international conference on specific themes and demands. The findings of the conference and demands were disseminated over international community In Lebanon.

c- Statements by different NGOs, coalitions (including right to work coalition), political factions were submitted to the new Lebanese government on the human and social rights of Palestinians in Lebanon and the actions needed by the government.

Within the same context, the Lebanese authorities had been started to build a security wall on all over the boundaries of Ein El Helweh camp. Camp inhabitants, NGOs, and the Palestinian factions submitted demands and met with the Head of Parliament, head of ISF, army, etc to stop building the wall around the camp, since it is endangering the lives of the camp's population who are around 80,000 individuals. Working in the construction of the wall was frozen based on the Palestinian reactions.

It is to be clear that the only solution, even for a short term, for the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon is admitting their human and civil rights, which will not only affect the livings of the Palestinians in Lebanon, but also will accelerate and improve the Lebanese economy, and will decrease the negative effects resulting from unemployment after they start having a dignified life.

In addition, PRS currently residing in Lebanon face challenges in regularizing their legal status or residency. Since the arrival of PRS in the country, the General Security Office (GSO) has issued several circulars enabling PRS to renew the required residency permit. Most of these circulars have been valid for a period of one to three months, and many were issued with some intervals between them, during which time theoretically no renewal was possible. The renewal of residency was free of charge for the first year. During 2014 and part of 2015, the cost of renewing legal residency documents was US$ 200 per person per year for those who have exceeded one year of stay. It seems likely that many PRS did not approach the GSO for fear of arrest and deportation or due to the length and cost of the process.

Since 17 October 2015 several memos have been issued periodically allowing for a renewal of residency documents, free of charge. Some PRS with expired residency permits have been issued a departure order, though it is noted that these have not been enforced. UNRWA has been struggling to ensure adequate shelter, education, health care and other services to PRS, who now represent an approximate 20 per cent increase of beneficiaries in need of assistance in Lebanon.

The AUB 2015 STUDY, FURTHER SHOWS THE FOLLOWINGS, IN REGARDS TO EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATION:

Poverty line of the PRL:

-Slight declines from 2010 in general poverty levels in Saida (8 per cent) and Tyre (9 per cent), but increases in North Lebanon Area (NLA) (11 per cent), the CLA (9 per cent) and the Beqaa (2 per cent). The survey results reflect the ongoing social exclusion of Palestine refugees from labour and housing markets, and lack of access to decent work opportunities that could help lift them out of poverty.

Poverty and extreme poverty are higher for refugees living inside camps.

-On average, PRL spend monthly US$ 195 per capita, much lower than the Lebanese average of US$ 429. Expenditure of the poorest quintile on average is US$ 96/month, while that of the wealthiest quintile is around US$ 431/month.

-The poverty rate is significantly higher when the head of household has low educational attainment (elementary and below).

-Most of the employed population (60.4 per cent) occupies low-skilled jobs,71 elementary jobs, and has the highest corresponding levels of poverty and extreme poverty.

Education (PRL):

PRL dropout rates have decreased and enrolment rates have risen since 2010. PRL secondary-level enrolment has witnessed an encouraging jump by 10 percentage points from 2010, while primary cycles have enrolment rates of 97 per cent.

Similar to the Poverty finding, PRL that have attained higher education levels and those who attend school are In conclusion, PRL dropout rates have decreased and enrolment rates have risen since 2010. PRL secondary-level enrolment has witnessed an encouraging jump by 10 percentage points from 2010, while primary cycles have enrolment rates of 97 per cent.

Similar to the Poverty Chapter Two finding, PRL that have attained higher education levels and those who attend school are financially better off.

Key Findings:

- Net enrolment has improved as the share of out-of-school children has decreased compared to 2010 survey findings.

-secondary school enrolment increased from 51% in 2016 to 61% in 2016.

-97% of school-age children are enrolled at the elementary school level.

-84% are enrolled in preparatory school.

-81% of 6 to 15 years and 70% of 16 to 18 old students attend UNRWA schools.

-62% of disabled children are enrolled in UNRWA schools, 8,9% of disabled children are enrolled in special education, and 28.9% of disabled children are not enrolled in any school at all.

-69.9% of PRL above the age of 25 do not have the Brevet certificate, 11,9% are Baccalaureate holders and 6.2% are university holders.

-As for the illiteracy, the average rate is 8% (11.3% among females and 4.1% among males.

In regards to access to work and decent working conditions, a clear majority of PRL is informally part of the lab our force. Around 86.5 per cent of the employed PRL do not have contracts, and only 6.0 per cent hold work permits. They have verbal agreements with their employers that leave them on bottom end of the employment ladder not benefitting from leave and subsidies, and this situation leaves them feeling rather insecure in their workplace; around half of PRL are wage labourers. The private sector is the largest employer of PRL. More than 70 per cent of the PRL workforce is employed in elementary occupations, craft and related trades, and services and sales. Lastly, women are five times less likely to be employed than men.

Key findings show the followings:

-the vast majority of PRL labor force work informally with less than 14% of them having an employment contract. Almost half of them are paid on daily bases.

-Unemployment rate sets at 32% among females and 21% among males.

- Higher levels of education contribute to securing decent jobs, where 76 per cent of PRL employed

in professional posts hold a university degree (55% of vocational/university holders are employed).

3. Problem analysis*

For Palestinian refugee women, they don’t live a dignified life at all, since having the reality conditions of refugee, with all the execuses of the discriminatory laws against Palestinians by the Lebanese Parliament in order not to reach the nationalization of Palestinians in Lebanon, women are drastically affected and restricted by these laws, which limit the potential human development, and increase increase her suffering that is caused from being a refugee. They also encounter the lack of formal employment rights for Palestinian refugee men and women; domestic violence; legal discrimination due to the reservations ofthe Lebanese government on articles 9, 16 and 29 of CEDAW; and the lack of resources and data on gender discrimination in the Palestinian refugee community. Actually, Palestinian refugee women feel as if they live in a community that makes her feel as a forgeiner in practice. This result in having the women choosing to have low profiles, unable to improve theirselves or develop their skills, or being part of an organized social or political actions. Yet, the women conditions in Syria, even regarding the Paelstinian women, were the contrary of that in Lebanon. In fact, women in Syria used to have all their equal rights, including the political rights, except the right of being elected in the Parlament. In Lebanon, women are not treated in equally either at personal or offecial levels. Women have to fight to get their rights and this is a long agenda they have to work on, including unfair cevil laws, women rright of giving their nationality to their children, early marriage, GBV, and other issues related to women rights which the civil society is active in working on in through public awareness, capoaigns, or media in its different forms. Despite the neglegence of the government, yet there is a recent acheivement in this rgards by the end of 2016, in the opposition of sexual violence where the the item 522 of the penalty law was canceled by the Parliamental committee of administration and justice that states the dropping of prosecution and legal punishment from the rapist if he marries the women survivor of the rape viollllence action, and it was to be submitted for the Paerlament for giving their approval. At another level, women political participation continued to be restricted to steryotyped roles related to women social participation, where only one women minister was represented in the new government out of 30 males ministers. In addition, a new ministry was esteblished for women affairs, yet it’s headed by a male minister and a female. In fact, this does’nt match what has been called for regarding women rights in political participation.

Whereas, the life of Palestinian refugee women in Lebanon camps lacks the minimal conditions of the human livings, unhealthy infrastructure, etc. and this problem has become like an everlasting way of life. Officially, no improvement is witnessed in relation to women rights whether in general sphere or the political one. Women continued to be responsible on the families and family relatinos. If looking at the late improvement in regards to women political participation, such as their representation in popular committees, we discover that such representation is quantitative not qualitative. Moreover, it doesn’t result from election based on skillful women and their rights of taking official roles, but from representation from the Palestinian political factions.