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Lebanon

Field Reports  In-Depth Reports  Letters & Testimonies

Overview
Lebanon is the host of about 50 000 Iraqi refugees whose status in the country remains uncertain. Needs are growing and return is still not an option for most. Failure to address refugees’ needs and the implications for Lebanon’s stability would have dramatic consequences for the country.

Current humanitarian situation
Iraqi refugees in are increasingly desperate.  In addition to having depleted their savings, they complain of increasing prices and exploitative, unstable work.  Fuel is more expensive, rent has skyrocketed, and the cost of food is higher. Since Lebanon is not a signatory to the refugee convention, Iraqis don’t have official status and run the risk of being arrested and detained at any time.

The Government of Lebanon decided in February 2008 to give amnesty to Iraqis who were illegally in the country.  Iraqis who had been detained for overstaying their visa or entering the country illegally were released on the condition that they find a work sponsor. But given the high costs to employers to sponsor migrants, as well as the fact that some employers prefer to hire people illegally and therefore pay lower rates, only about 10% of the Iraqis released from detention received the year-long sponsorship.  The Government of Lebanon should ease the costs to employers of sponsoring migrants, or develop other measures to ease labor restrictions, including recognizing the particular needs of refugees. 

As the amnesty is no longer valid, Iraqis are again being detained.  Several Iraqis detained in Beirut for illegal entry or overstaying their visas explained that they had served their sentence, but were choosing to stay in prison in Lebanon rather than be forced to return to Iraq.

Actions needed

  • The US must lead the international community’s efforts to provide assistance to Iraqi refugees and their host countries.
  • The international community must work with the Government of Lebanon to ensure that the Government’s flexible approach and policies towards Iraqis are implemented throughout the country and at all levels.
Field Reports
  • Iraq's Displaced: A Stable Region Requires Stable Assistance
    02/16/2011
    The next two years will be defining ones for the future of Iraq and the United States' legacy in the region. It would be a grave mistake for the U.S. Government to diminish efforts to protect and assist Iraq's displaced. A reduction of funding and diplomacy on the issue could undermine stated U.S. foreign policy goals and lead to the creation of a second large-scale protracted displacement crisis in the Middle East.
  • Iraq: Humanitarian Needs Persist
    03/17/2010
    The humanitarian situation facing Iraqi refugees and internally displaced people is quickly becoming a protracted one for which the U.S. bears special responsibility. Though the country is well positioned to generate vast sums of revenue from its oil, it will take many years before the government is able to rebuild the country’s infrastructure and provide basic services to its people. Ongoing political and security concerns continue to challenge development efforts. It is thus critical that the U.S. and other donors continue to support a strong and expanded humanitarian program, working hand-in-hand with a variety of community development initiatives.
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In Depth Reports
  • Uprooted and Unstable: Meeting Urgent Humanitarian Needs in Iraq
    04/15/2008
    Five years after the US -led invasion, Iraq remains a deeply violent and divided society. Faced with one of the largest displacement and humanitarian crises in the world, Iraqi civilians are in urgent need of assistance. Particularly vulnerable are the 2.7 million internally displaced Iraqis who have fled their homes for safer locations inside Iraq.
  • Iraq: The World's Fastest Growing Displacement Crisis
    03/22/2007
    Four years after the U.S. launched its attack against Iraq, the civil war there has produced a humanitarian crisis marked by the world’s fastest growing refugee and internally displaced populations. But Iraq, Washington and the U.N. do not acknowledge the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis. This has led to an inadequate response, both within Iraq and in the region.
Advocacy Letters
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Congressional Testimony
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Successes
February 2011: After RI called for greater assistance to displaced Iraqis living in squalid squatter settlements, the U.S. government and UNHCR made the provision of assistance to these communities a top priority.  Today, some of the funding helps these Iraqis stay dry from the winter rains, watch their children play in safe spaces, and drink clean water.