What’s next for Lebanon’s Syrian refugees?

The Syrian conflict, entering its sixth year, has caused an unprecedented crisis, generating 4.8 million refugees throughout the region and directly affecting 13.5 million people within Syria.

The war next door has had a profound impact on Lebanon, with ramifications for the country’s security, economy and society.

The Lebanese people and institutions have generously opened their doors to more than 1 million Syrian refugees, while responding to their needs and those of the host communities.

It is truly a challenge striving to offer quality public services like education or primary healthcare for both Lebanese — especially the most impoverished — and Syrians whom they host.

But Lebanon has done this, with humanity and political courage. Against this backdrop, and after years in exile, the situation for Syrian refugees in Lebanon is now deteriorating rapidly.

With their savings depleted, they have entered a vicious circle of extreme poverty, leaving them barely enough for daily survival.

More than 70 per cent now live below the national poverty line of less than $4 a day, and most have racked up debts of up to $950 per family, just to afford the most basic items, such as food, medicine and rent.

The Lebanese, too, have been seriously affected by the Syrian conflict, with their economy depressed and unemployment rising, especially among the young.

The support from the international community has been unwavering; since 2013, more than $3.4 billion has been allocated to Lebanon, and 35,000 refugees have been resettled from Lebanon to other countries.

Despite this, the assistance unfortunately remains insufficient when set against stretched resources and growing needs.

The Lebanese government and its humanitarian partners have requested $2.48 billion in the 2016 Lebanon Crisis Response Plan, the main appeal for funding from the international community.

While the cessation of hostilities in Syria — which is mostly holding since 27 February — and the tortuous path to the negotiating table provide glimmers of hope, only a political settlement will bring peace and security.

This will answer the concerns of the Lebanese people, and those of every Syrian refugee.

The refugees have just one wish: to go back, safely, to the homeland from which they were torn.

This is what I am told every day by the refugees that I meet: they are fully aware that their stay in Lebanon is temporary — just for the time they need to be protected.

In the meantime, Syrian refugees need to survive in exile and those hosting them must be supported, be they Lebanese families aiding Syrians or the institutions that are providing the much-needed basic services.

Humanitarian assistance is never sufficient, stabilisation support is also required.

The Supporting Syria and the Region Conference, held in London in February, showed that the international community and host countries in the region are mobilising to tackle the crisis together with additional resources and initiatives. This offers a rare opportunity, and it should be seized.

Support for Lebanon’s economy and infrastructure would help to generate employment for those most in need in impoverished areas, including Syrians in sectors where they have traditionally filled demand and do not compete with Lebanese workers.

This would help them meet their basic survival needs and pay their bills.

Maintaining their legal residency status in Lebanon is a major concern of refugees. At the moment, many are unable to renew their residency because of the cost and the documents required. They just wish to stay afloat and keep their papers in order.

Beyond immediate survival, what comes next for the refugees?

Resettlement to a third country is one solution, and it is ongoing. Last year, countries doubled the number of places available for Syrian refugees to leave Lebanon.

Resettlement is a safety net for the most vulnerable, including those who have survived torture or trauma, female heads of households or people with a serious illness that cannot be treated locally.

UNHCR is asking the international community to multiply the number of opportunities for refugees outside the region, including through scholarships, work permits and other temporary humanitarian admission schemes.

Everyone — not least the refugees themselves — agrees that the main solution for refugees will be to return home when conditions allow. And the refugees will be eager to take that path once it is safe to do so.

I have witnessed this firsthand on countless occasions across the world. Over the decades, UNHCR has helped more than 40 million refugees return home.

Our support goes beyond assisting refugees in exile; the ultimate goal is always to find solutions.

Peace in Syria will trigger substantial assistance programmes from UNHCR and other aid actors, to help refugees go back to Syria and facilitate their reintegration at home for several years after their return.

Gradually, they will resume their normal lives — only they will be stronger for the solidarity that they experienced in places like Lebanon during the painful years of exile.

The writer is United Nations High  Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative in Lebanon. She  contributed this article to The Jordan Times.