Abstract
3 Introduction 4 Realities on the ground 5 The legal and political environment of Lebanese regions hosting Syrian refugees 8 Needs particularities among Syrian refugees according to geographic areas 13 Analysis of risks and challenges to aid provision in light of regional differences 14 Bibliography 16 Sam van Vliet and Guita Hourani, “Regional differences in the conditions of Syrian refugees in Lebanon”, Civil Society Knowledge Center, Lebanon Support, 23 April 2014 Published by Lebanon Support with the support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy. The views expressed in this document are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Lebanon Support or the Royal Norwegian Embassy. Beirut, 23 April 2014 | Lebanon Support © 2014 all rights reserved 3 Abstract Lebanon has entered its third year as a country hosting the highest number of Syrian refugees in the region. All geographical areas with a high concentration of Syrian refugees in Lebanon share a similar protracted marginality, underdevelopment, and weak infrastructure. Syrian refugees experience different levels of legal and political conditions, security and protection, freedom of mobility, access to aid and relief services, access to labor, socio-economic conditions, and prices of goods and rent, all depending on their geographical settlements. These geographical differences are of eminent relevance that affects not only the Syrian refugees and their hosting communities, but also refugee policies and aid programs. This paper explores these variations by analyzing, first, differences among host communities and, second, by examining the dissimilarities among geographic settlements. The paper reveals that the conditions of Syrian refugees depend on the geographical areas of their settlement within Lebanon. Host-refugee relations also show a direct relationship to the variant geographical areas and their sociodemographic compositions. This paper concludes that geographical differences are of vital importance to be considered when studying the living conditions of refugees, developing policies, or designing aid programs.
Highlights
By the end of 2013, Lebanon is hosting around 1.3 million Syrian refugees scattered across more than 1,500 municipalities.[1]
A recent World Bank study projects the Syrian presence in Lebanon to reach 1.6 to 2.4 million refugees in 2014
Various assessments, conducted in 2012 and 2013, show that these pull factors relate to levels of security, livelihood, and socio-political structures within Lebanon
Summary
By the end of 2013, Lebanon is hosting around 1.3 million Syrian refugees scattered across more than 1,500 municipalities.[1] A recent World Bank study projects the Syrian presence in Lebanon to reach 1.6 to 2.4 million refugees in 2014 These population increases area result of push factors (the situation in Syria) and pull factors (the level of assistance in Lebanon and the border policy of the Lebanese Government).[2] Various assessments, conducted in 2012 and 2013, show that these pull factors relate to levels of security, livelihood, and socio-political structures within Lebanon. The more than one million Syrian refugees, including minority groups, Lebanese returnees, and Palestinian and Iraqi refugees from Syria are scattered around the country and within host communities This makes it very difficult for humanitarian agencies, government planners, and researchers alike to have a full understanding of their numbers and needs. How do Lebanon’s regional differences affect the living conditions of Syrian refugees? And to what extent do humanitarian interventions take these realities into consideration? This study intends to: a) illustrate the legal and political environment of the regions in Lebanon where the Syrian refugees reside; b) identify differences in needs among Syrian refugee communities in these regions; c) highlight whether or not these differences are taken into consideration in aid interventions; and d) synthesize the possible risks and challenges to aid provision in light of these differences
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