United Nations University Centre for Policy Research Jasmin Lilian Diab and Heaven Crawley Safe, Voluntary, and Dignified Return for Syrian Refugees from Lebanon A synthesis of ideas and ways forward discussed at a migration policy roundtable in Beirut unu.edu/cpr POLICY BRIEF November, 2023 Introduction With an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees within its bor- ders, Lebanon hosts the highest proportion of refugees world- wide. 1 Refugees and hosts alike have been forced into extreme poverty and higher protection risks as a result of the nation’s escalating socio-economic crisis. 2 The Government of Lebanon stated in 2022 that it would send 15,000 Syrian refugees home to their country each month, insisting that Syria was now safe for return, and also willing to welcome refugees back. 3 Human rights organizations, however, continue to gather evidence on Syrians being arbitrarily arrested, subjected to sexual assault, forcibly disappeared, and tortured upon returning home. 4 Tes- timonies from Syrians confrm this. 5 1 Jasmin Lilian Diab, “Safe Return and Voluntary Repatriation for Syrian Refugees from Lebanon: What Needs to Happen Next?” UNU-CPR Discussion Paper (New York: United Nations University, 2023). Accessible at: http:// collections.unu.edu/eserv/UNU:9077/VoluntaryRepatriation_FINAL.pdf. 2 Ibid. 3 “Caretaker minister aims to return ‘15,000 displaced [Syrians] per month,’ with Syrian govt support,” L’Orient Today, 4 July 2022, https://today. lorientlejour.com/article/1304696/caretaker-minister-aims-to-return- 15000-displaced-syrians-per-month-with-syrian-govt-support.html. 4 “Most Notable Human Rights Violations in Syria in April 2023,” Syrian Network for Human Rights, 5 May, 2023, https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian- arab-republic/most-notable-human-rights-violations-syria-april-2023-enar . 5 “’Our Lives Are Like Death’ Syrian Refugee Returns from Lebanon and Jordan,” Human Rights Watch, 20 October 2021, https://www.hrw.org/ report/2021/10/20/our-lives-are-death/syrian-refugee-returns-lebanon- and-jordan. Recommendations: • Plans for repatriation must be rooted in protection stan- dards and principles – including that refugee repatriations be well-informed through a tripartite agreement between the Governments of Lebanon and Syria and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). • Monitoring of the repatriation process must be ensured through close cooperation with UNHCR and the Govern- ment of Syria – and adequate and comprehensive infor- mation must be provided to refugees. • Reactivating UNHCR’s registration of Syrian refugees is a necessary step moving forward. • Reintegration assistance must be provided post-arrival in Syria within ongoing humanitarian programmes. • Ongoing voluntary repatriation must be carried out in safety and dignity by local authorities – and should only be carried out in specifc areas where the confict has ceased and protection thresholds upheld. • The international community must support Lebanon as a leading refugee host State, ensuring that Lebanon has both the adequate fnancial support to manage the refu- gee crisis and bilateral agreements for eventual resettle- ment of refugees to safe third countries. • Ensure that Syrian refugees who wish to return can attain housing, land and proprty rights, a pivotal component of dignifed and durable return.