Briefing Note on Non-ID Palestinian Refugees Living in Lebanon - May 2007

Thousands of Palestinian refugees have been living in Lebanon for nearly 60 years in deprived and difficult conditions. These refugees fall into three groups. Around 404,170 refugees are registered with both the UNRWA Lebanon field office and the Lebanese authorities (these are termed ‘registered refugees’). Between 15,000 and 35,000 are registered only with the Lebanese authorities (‘non-registered refugees’). The third and most vulnerable group of Palestinian refugees is those who are registered neither with UNRWA nor with the Lebanese authorities (undocumented, or ‘non-ID refugees’). There are approximately 3,000 of these non-ID refugees in Lebanon.
For many years lack of proper awareness about non-ID refugees led to their neglect and illegal residence in the country. As such, they are deprived of some of the most important and basic human rights. The following briefing note will describe the situation of non-ID refugees in Lebanon, including the problems they face, and provides recommendations towards the resolution of their illegal and problematic status within Lebanon.