Introduction
The vast majority of Syrian refugees in Lebanon express a desire to return to their home country. They also say that sustainable security and safety are the most important factors influencing their decision on when to return. These are some of the main findings from a range of surveys, focus group discussions and other initiatives that UNHCR has undertaken with thousands of Syrian refugees in Lebanon during the course of 2017, with a view to enhancing collective understanding of the intentions and perspectives of the refugees with regard to their future and longer-term prospects. Mindsets evolve over time and it is important for UNHCR to monitor this evolution regularly.
The findings from a sample of these initiatives, held over the course of a 10-month period, and corroborated with information gathered through UNHCR’s ongoing protection and assistance activities, are presented in this report.
Having spent up to six and a half years in a situation of temporary exile, many of the refugees UNHCR speaks with express a strong wish of being able to restart life in their own country. Many parents are worried about their children becoming a ‘lost generation’, living for years in a temporary situation where they cannot fully develop their potential and the skills they need for a future as adults.
When Syrians fled to Lebanon to seek international protection from persecution, conflict and war, most thought that their time in exile would be short, and that they would be able to return after one or a couple of years. The protracted nature of their displacement has not, however, diluted their dream of returning home. On the contrary, discussions with Syrian refugees in Lebanon show that they are following the developments in Syria very closely in order to inform themselves of changes in the situation that will impact on their decision and ability to return permanently, in safety and dignity.
As part of its ultimate goal and responsibility to seek durable solutions to the situation of refugees, UNHCR has maintained, since the beginning of the Syria crisis, a solutionsfocus to everything it does. This has encompassed efforts to facilitate the resettlement of particularly vulnerable Syrian refugees to third countries. Since 2011, UNHCR has submitted more than 66,870 vulnerable Syrian refugees for resettlement and other humanitarian admission programmes to more than 20 different countries, including Canada, France, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Given that staying permanently in Lebanon (i.e. local integration) is not an option available to refugees as per the Government of Lebanon’s policy, third-country resettlement is the only durable solution available to them so far. This has allowed some of the most vulnerable refugees, be they victims of torture or trauma or seriously ill persons, to move on to a new life.
However, for the large majority remaining, the challenge continues to be to make this temporary stay as safe and dignified as possible. UNHCR strives to help the refugees preserve their well-being while in exile. This is done through assistance, and through advocacy and other interventions aimed at protecting their basic rights, such as freedom of movement, the right to legal residence and documentation, and birth registration.
UNHCR also seeks to enable refugees to regain trust, develop their human capital, selfreliance and transferable skills. This not only prevents refugees from sinking deeper into poverty while in Lebanon and from entering into negative coping mechanisms such as begging or child labour, but it also equips them to rebuild their lives back in Syria and reintegrate upon return.
Meanwhile, throughout the region, UNHCR systematically carries out activities geared at preparing for the future facilitation of voluntary repatriation of refugees, in safety and dignity to Syria. While the conditions in Syria are not yet ripe for this, preparations need to start before, so that refugees can be assisted to return and reintegrate the day the necessary conditions and guarantees are in place. A key component of these preparations is to regularly seek the views and perspectives of the refugees on the factors that influence their decisions and intentions regarding future return. This, in turn, informs negotiations and advocacy by UNHCR and the international community to secure those conditions, and thus pave the way for voluntary repatriation towards a truly durable solution.