REFUGEE ASSISTANCE

Overall Donor Funding Remains Flat:
Refugee Students in Lebanon ProtestLack of Education Opportunities As UNRWA prepares to enter the last quarter of 2000, overall donor funding remains flat. Leading up to host-donor nations meeting in Amman in late September it was announced that funds expected from donor countries will not be able to cover the Agency's expenditures by the beginning of November. Additional pledges from donor countries to cover the $27 million deficit for 2000, however, averted further austerity measures in the remaining months of the year.

Current funding levels, nevertheless, do not cover basic refugee needs and rights enshrined in international human rights instruments, including health and education. Since the beginning of the Oslo process in 1993, actual UNRWA expenditures per refugee has declined from $179 to less than $70 today affecting delivery of services in all areas - education, health, and welfare.

In the response to the critical situation in Lebanon, and the lack of opportunities for high school education in particular, refugees have been holding a sit-in, which included a four-day hunger strike, since the beginning of September in front of the UNRWA building in Bir Hasan. Approximately 50 students have been camped out overnight during the sit-in, organized by the Follow-Up Committee for Palestinians Students, with crowds swelling to as many as 500 during the day. The Committee previously held an 18- day hunger strike in 1997 to protest cuts in the UNRWA budget in Lebanon. Further signaling the serious financial issues faced by the UN Agency, Lebanese landowners have threatened to shut down UNRWA schools on their property unless the Agency clears up more than 10 years of unpaid rent for the property.

European Parliamentary Groups at the European Parliament on the Right of Return British PM Tony Blair
"Britain has long supported UN calls for the right of return and compensation for Palestinian refugees. Britain has also been trying as hard as we can to help find a lasting solution to this problem. Such a solution requires not just the agreement of Israel and the Palestinians but must take into full account the views of the refugees themselves and of the countries where they have lived for so long." (Tony Blair in a letter sent to Christian Aid, UK) Group of Party of the European Socialists "[T]he PES position on the right of return of Palestinian refugees is clearly in favour of the respect of the international rules and the UN resolutions."

(Christine Verger in letter dd. 27 June 2000) Group of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party"[N]o doubt that the Greens/EFA group supports the right of Palestinian refugees to return as it did many times in various situations for other refugees. The right to return is one of the basic rights recognized by many international covenants and should never be questioned." (Paolo Bergamaschi in letter dd. 28 June 2000) Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats and European Democrats) "The EPP-Ed group position concerning the Palestinians refugee question is in line with the UN Resolutions. The EPP-ED group considers that a permanent peace only could be possible with justice." (Jose Botella Serrano in letter dd. 15 June 2000)

Dutch Socialist Party "Of course, the SP recognizes the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their own land, like practically the whole world does. The fact that this didn't happen is due to double standards, which we address regularly in the Parliament." (Johan van den Hout in letter dd. 14 June 2000) Dutch DemocratCS'66 (D'66) "D66 supports the right of return of Palestinian refugees, as stated repeatedly by the foreign affairs spokesman." (J.Th. Hoekema in letter dd. 5 July 2000) These statements have been collected by al-Awda - The Right of Return Coalition in order to create a database on of political positions for more effective lobbying efforts for the right of return. See Majdal Issue No. 6 for a sample letter and contact information or visit the al-Awda website.

The average classroom size in Lebanon has reached 60 students with two students per desk. Moreover, an increasing number of students are unable to exercise their basic right to education beyond middle school. UNRWA operates a single secondary school in the Beirut area, opened on the late 1990s, with a total three secondary schools in Lebanon leaving the majority of refugee students with few options for secondary education. Palestinian refugees in www Lebanon lack access to public sector schoolswhile the cost of private education is often prohibitive.

According to Nidal Abdel Al, head of the Student Committee, there are 1,000 stude-nts alone in the Badawi and Nahr al-Bared camps in the north that do not have a high school to attend. The right to education is a basic human right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 26 (1) states: "1.Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit."

The right to education is also enshrined in the Covenant on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights, and the Covenant on the Rights of the Child. Lebanon is signatory to all these conventions. As the designated international body for assistance to Palestinian refugees who are stateless, UNRWA is obligated to provide education. The UNHCR has also recognized education of children as a basic element of refugee protection linked to durable solutions.

Executive Committee Conclusions No. 47 - 1987, No. 59 -
1989, and No. 84 - 1997
The Student Follow-Up Committee and other refugee organizations have been lobbying UNRWA officials and donor countries for more funding. UNRWA promised to raise the issue during the host-donor nation meeting in Amman at the end of September and students say they will wait to see the results of the meeting before deciding on future actions.

At press time, UNRWA announced that it would be willing to provide secondary education for refugees in Lebanon if donor countries were to provide appropriate funding. Refugees and activists around the world have been sending letters to UNRWA calling for appropriate funding until the refugee situation is resolved according to international law and UN resolutions. Letters of support can also be addressed to the students in Lebanon.

Individuals are also requested to write to their own government representatives to urge them to provide appropriate funding so that the Agency can continue to provide for the basic needs and rights of the refugees, including education, until such atime as the refugee issue is resolved according to the international law and UN Resolution 194 (right of return and compensation).

Write to UNRWA Write to UNRWA Commissioner-General Peter
Hansen expressing support for Palestinian students right to education. Ask UNRWA to pass on your concern to donor governments and to ensure that they provide sufficient resources to meet the international community's obligation to the Palestinian refugees.
Commissioner-General Peter Hansen UNRWA Headquarters
Gaza Strip Fax 972-7-677-7555
Email: [email protected]
Send messages of solidarity to children in Lebanon email: [email protected]

Available Now: Brief No. 6
BADIL - Information and Discussion Brief No. 6 (July 2000)
"The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and a Durable Solution for Palestinian Refugees" Terry Rempel, Coordinator of Research and Information, BADIL Brief No. 6 is one of a set of three BADIL Briefs (No. 5-7), which examine the special regime (outlined in Brief No. 1) established by the United Nations to provide protection and assistance for Palestinian refugees and promote a durable solution based on the provisions of UN Resolution 194 (III). Briefs 5 and 7 provide an overview of the UN Conciliation Commission for Palestine (UNCCP) and the UN
Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This Brief examines the work of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) established in 1949 to provide assistance for Palestinian refugees.

The Brief examines the future role of UNRWA in a durable solution for Palestinian refugees. Based on a review of the Agency's mandate, experience, and institutional resources, UNRWA could play a useful functional role in a multi-agency, international burden sharing effort in the areas of refugee protection, human resource development, social infrastructure development, and institutional capacity building. Brief No. 6 is based on a paper prepared for a workshop on the Future of UNRWA organized by the Palestinian Refugee ResearchNet and the Royal Institute of International Affairs in Minster-Lovell, UK, 19-20 February 2000.

Palestinian Refugees and the Right to Education
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, G.A. res. 2200A (XXI), 21 U.N.GAOR Supp. (No. 16) at 49, U.N. Doc. A/ 6316 (1966), 993 U.N.T.S. 3, entered into force Jan. 3, 1976.
Article 13
1. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to education. They agree that education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and the sense of its dignity, and shall strengthen the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. They further agree that education shall enable all persons to participate effectively in a free society, promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations and all racial, ethnic or religious groups, and further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

2. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize that, with a view to achieving the full realization of this right:
(a) Primary education shall be compulsory and available free to all;
(b) Secondary education in its different forms,including technical and vocational secondary education, shall be made generally available and accessible to all by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education;
(c) Higher education shall be made equally accessible to all, on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education;
(d) Fundamental education shall be encouraged or intensified as far as possible for those persons who have not received or completed the whole period of their primary education;
(e) The development of a system of schools at all levels shall be actively pursued, an adequate fellowship system shall be established, and the material conditions of teaching staff shall be continuously improved.
Convention on the Rights of the Child, G.A. res. 44/25, annex, 44 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 49) at 167, U.N. Doc. A/44/49 (1989), entered into force Sept.2 1990.

Article 28
1. States Parties recognize the right of the child toeducation, and with a view to achieving this right progressively and on the basis of equal opportunity, they shall, in particular:
(a) Make primary education compulsory and available free to all;
(b) Encourage the development of different forms of secondary education, including general and vocational education, make them available and accessible to every child, and take appropriate measures such as the introduction of free education and offering financial assistance in case of need;
(c) Make higher education accessible to all on the basis of capacity by every appropriate means;
(d) Make educational and vocational information and guidance available and accessible to all children;
(e) Take measures to encourage regular attendance at schools and the reduction of drop-out rates.