Beirut, Lebanon
20 May 2016
UN Special Coordinator Sigrid Kaag met with His Excellency Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil to discuss the report of the Secretary-General: “In safety and dignity: Addressing large movements of refugees and migrants” (A/70/59).
The report was prepared at the request of the General Assembly for the 19 September High Level Plenary Meeting on addressing large movements of refugees and migrants.
The Special Coordinator and the Foreign Minister reviewed the report of the Secretary-General. The focus of the report and the scope of its recommendations are global. The report makes no mention of any specific country and seeks primarily to promote more collective action and better responsibility sharing by member states to address large movements of refugees and migrants. The report addresses the challenges of countries hosting refugees for lengthy periods and calls for measures to better support host communities, to promote social inclusion and to combat discrimination. The report does not advocate in any specific case for naturalization or granting of citizenship for refugees. National policies and laws prevail with regard to issues of integration or citizenship.
The Special Coordinator underlined that the UN’s position remains equally unchanged on Lebanon. “Potential integration is a sovereign question at the discretion of the Lebanese government. The Secretary-General has at no time called for the permanent settlement of Syrian refugees in Lebanon”, Ms. Kaag stated.