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European Union Shows Support for the Futures of Young Palestine Refugees in Lebanon

07 February 2017

On 15 December 2016, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) opened the fifth annual Academic Fair to support young Palestine refugees in their pursuit of future educational and professional opportunities.

The Fair was funded by the European Union’s Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI), which provides education, training and employment support for young Palestine refugees in Lebanon, and also supported by the Lebanese Universities League in order to expand the exposure and connections of young Palestine refugees to academic opportunities and to help them make decisions about their future careers.

Through the Fair, more than 650 Palestine refugee twelfth-grade students were provided with information and assistance to help them plan for their future careers, including advice on educational programmes at Lebanese and foreign universities – by both public and private institutes at the undergraduate and postgraduate level – as well as their admission processes and available majors and scholarships. In total, 26 Lebanese and foreign universities, academic institutes and scholarship providers participated in the event.

EU-UNRWA: Together for Palestine Refugees

Since 1971, the European Union and UNRWA have maintained a strategic partnership governed by the shared objective to support the human development, humanitarian and protection needs of Palestine refugees and promote stability in the Middle East. Today, the European Union is the largest multilateral provider of international assistance to Palestine refugees. This reliable and predictable support from the European Union enables UNRWA to provide core services to more than 5 million Palestine refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza, including quality education for roughly half a million children and primary health care for more than 3.5 million patients. Collectively, the EU and its Member States are also among the largest contributors to the Agency’s humanitarian emergency appeals and projects in response to various crises and specific needs across the region. The partnership between the European Union and UNRWA has allowed millions of Palestine refugees to be better educated, live healthier lives, access employment opportunities and improve their living conditions, thus contributing to the development of the entire region.

The UNRWA Academic Fair in Lebanon, supported by the European Union, highlights the importance of giving young Palestine refugees hope and access to future opportunities. Hoops Club, Beirut. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Ali Hashisho“Today’s event gives school students direct access to education opportunities and gives them a chance to make informed decisions about their academic futures. UNRWA and the European Union continue to support them to build this hope,” said the Acting Director of UNRWA Affairs in Lebanon, Hakam Shahwan. Hoops Club, Beirut. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Ali HashishoAbel Piqueras Candela, Representative of the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon, and the UNRWA team pose with a group of the fair’s participants. Hoops Club, Beirut. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Ali HashishoMore than 650 Palestine refugee twelfth-grade students and 26 Lebanese and foreign universities, academic institutes and scholarship providers participated in the fifth annual Academic Fair in Lebanon. Hoops Club, Beirut. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Ali Hashisho“It is very useful to us, as students, to get in touch with this amalgam of universities and scholarship providers under one fair. New knowledge paves the way to well-informed academic and career choices,” said Malek Khatib, one of the Academic Fair’s 650 participants. Hoops Club, Beirut. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Ali HashishoParticipants at the UNRWA Academic Fair in Lebanon were provided with information and assistance on career planning, educational programmes, admissions processes, and available majors and scholarships. Hoops Club, Beirut. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Ali HashishoThe UNRWA Academic Fair in Lebanon on 15 December was funded by the European Union’s Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI), which provides education, training and employment support for young Palestine refugees in Lebanon. Hoops Club, Beirut. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Ali Hashisho“We noticed that our students were curious about the different options and financial aid available at the universities [that participated in the Fair],” noted Wissam Abi Issa, a student counsellor at the UNRWA Bissan School in Ein El Hilweh camp. “Students were also eager to learn about the requirements to enrol for the majors they’re interested which will allow them to build their future and improve their lives.” Hoops Club, Beirut. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Ali Hashisho“Assisting at the Academic Fair is very rewarding to me,” said Fatima al-Hajj Moussa, a beneficiary of the EU-funded scholarship programme facilitated by UNRWA in Lebanon and an Economics from the American University of Beirut (AUB). “Being a previous beneficiary of the EU-funded scholarship programme at UNRWA, I feel proud to be chosen and given the chance to share the benefits of the timely opportunity granted to me.” Hoops Club, Beirut. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Ali Hashisho

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