Host Countries Must Respect International Law And Govern Palestinian Refugee Camps As Distinct But Not Isolated - Ifi Research And Policy Memo #1

Research and Policy Memo #1 | June 2008
Host Countries Must Respect International Law and Govern Palestinian Refugee Camps as Distinct but Not IsolatedKaren AbuZayd 
Arab countries hosting Palestinian refugees must align their local laws with global best practices, while maintaining the distinct group-identity which sixty years of exile has forged for those refugees, the United Nations’ top official for Palestine refugee affairs has said. National laws governing refugee life in several Arab countries violate international standards and stifle the work of humanitarian agencies, whose role remains secondary to that of the state.
This has been the experience of UNRWA Commissioner-General Karen AbuZayd over more than 20 years in the international civil service. She shared her insights recently in the inaugural lecture of The Program on Policy and Governance in Palestinian Refugee Camps in the Middle East, one of several programs launched this year by the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) at the American University of Beirut (AUB). The Palestinian Camps program is managed jointly by IFI and AUB’s Center for Behavioral Research. Dr. Sari Hanafi is the faculty research director for the program.