Article74 Magazine

This conference, launched by an initiative of CEAD - Alternatives (Canadian NGO) and preceded by a regional preparatory meeting in Amman in March 1995, was perhaps the first time that Palestinian NGOs working in the Arab region met explicitly to evaluate the status quo of the Palestinian refugee question and to discuss a platform for coordinated action. 

The 13 participants came from all Arab countries hosting major Palestinian refugee populations: Lebanon (Coordinating Committee of Palestinian NGOs in Lebanon), Jordan (al Baq’a refugee camp, Jordanian Women Federation), Syria (Bisan Women’s Center) and the occupied West Bank (Palestinian NGO Network). 
The situation of Palestinian refugees, and the working conditions experienced by NGOs in these four regions vary greatly. It was therefore no surprise that participants differed in their views as to the focus and the priorities of a joint refugee campaign. Palestinian NGOs working in the West Bank favored an approach combining the mobilization for the right of return with development projects serving immediate refugee needs. This combined strategy was criticized by the Palestinian NGOs working in Jordan, who argued strongly for the exclusive mobilization for the right of return and for the abstaining from development projects which would inevitably promote refugee resettlement. 
The major shortcoming of this conference was the fact that refugee initiatives (such as the campaign launched by the Far’ah Conference) were not represented, while the majority of the NGOs present are not engaged explicitly in refugee work; the Palestinian NGO network in Palestine (PNGO), a central actor in the preparation of this event, decided after the conference not to adopt refugee work as a priority. Moreover, NGO positions and activities continue to be heavily influenced by their affiliation with political parties, a fact which has prevented coordination especially among NGOs in Jordan and Syria. 

Although the Cyprus Conference led to the adoption of a general program and specific action programs for NGOs in the four countries, it is obvious that program implementation will depend on whether authentic refugee activists and committees will be encouraged to step in and to take a leading role in this initiative. 

General NGO Program for the Defense of the Right of Return (Cyprus)  

Obstacles to the Realization of the Right of Return: 

the strong Israeli position against the right of return; 

the Oslo-Cairo-Taba agreements which do not include UN Resolution 194 as the term of reference; 

the ambiguous position of the Palestinian negotiators towards the final solution of the refugee question and the absence of a Palestinian strategy; 

the existence of plans for refugee relocation and resettlement 

Strategies in Defense of the Palestinian Right of Return: 

documentation and research (surveys, databanks, information materials); 

lobbying and advocacy against resettlement and normalization of the Arab, Palestinian, Israeli and international level; 

mobilizing the refugee community (workshops, conferences, based on the Far’ah model); 

improving coordination among refugee initiatives; 

promoting applications for family reunification; 

upgrading professional, administrative and technical capacities of refugee committees and institutions; 

NGO Priorities in Palestine: 

to include the refugee population in the efforts to build a civil society; 

to develop democratic, independent and non-sectarian refugee committees in the camps; 

to spread NGO work in the camps.