Frequently asked questions
This section deals with general queries about UNRWA.
For the Agency’s response to particular new developments or specific questions, please contact our press and public information representatives.
UNRWA mandate - Definition of Refugees, Descendants, and Solutions
<p>UNRWA mandate - Definition of Refugees, Descendants, and Solutions</p>
<p>UNRWA mandate - Definition of Refugees, Descendants, and Solutions</p>
Neutrality
Neutrality
Neutrality
Efficiency, effectiveness and oversight
Efficiency, effectiveness and oversight
Efficiency, effectiveness and oversight
Yes. In June 2019, an independent performance assessment of UNRWA conducted by the Multilateral Organisation Performance Assessment Network (MOPAN) and commissioned by some of the world’s top donors concluded that the Agency is “competent, resilient and resolute”. The report considers UNRWA engagement in the region as highly relevant as it delivers critical support for the Palestine refugee population, to the host authorities and to the wider development processes of the region.
MOPAN comprises 18 countries that share a common interest in assessing the effectiveness of the major multilateral organisations they fund. These include United Nations agencies, international financial institutions and global funds. The network that generates, collects, analyses and presents relevant and credible information on effectiveness and performance has just released its second assessment report of UNRWA.
The assessment commended UNRWA for its strong management, robust and resilient organizational architecture, strategic vision and effective programme delivery, as well as the capacity and commitment of its workforce and its strategic approach to resource mobilization. It also affirmed the strength of the Agency’s approach to results, risk and financial management, concluding that UNRWA is uniquely well-placed to ensure that the humanitarian, human development and protection needs of Palestine refugees are met.
UNRWA Eligibility and Registration Q&A
UNRWA was established in December 1949 by the UN General Assembly Resolution 302 (IV) to carry out direct relief and works programmes for Palestine refugees. In the absence of a just and durable solution to the Palestine refugee problem, the General Assembly has repeatedly renewed UNRWA’s mandate, most recently extending it until June 2023. UNRWA programmes now encompass basic education, primary health care, relief and social services, and emergency response, including in situations of armed conflict. The Agency’s five fields of operation are Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and Gaza.
This paper answers frequently asked questions pertaining to UNRWA’s eligibility and registration. Q1-Q9 define the categories of persons who are eligible to register with UNRWA and/or to receive services. Q10-Q16 describe how UNRWA’s registration records are stored, updated and displayed. Q17-Q20 explain how UNRWA can assist in verifying information about registered persons seeking asylum outside its fields of operation. Annexes 1-4 show copies of UNRWA’s Family Registration Card and other documents that registered persons may hold.
UNRWA was established in December 1949 by the UN General Assembly Resolution 302 (IV) to carry out direct relief and works programmes for Palestine refugees. In the absence of a just and durable solution to the Palestine refugee problem, the General Assembly has repeatedly renewed UNRWA’s mandate, most recently extending it until June 2023. UNRWA programmes now encompass basic education, primary health care, relief and social services, and emergency response, including in situations of armed conflict. The Agency’s five fields of operation are Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and Gaza.
This paper answers frequently asked questions pertaining to UNRWA’s eligibility and registration. Q1-Q9 define the categories of persons who are eligible to register with UNRWA and/or to receive services. Q10-Q16 describe how UNRWA’s registration records are stored, updated and displayed. Q17-Q20 explain how UNRWA can assist in verifying information about registered persons seeking asylum outside its fields of operation. Annexes 1-4 show copies of UNRWA’s Family Registration Card and other documents that registered persons may hold.
UNRWA’s Consolidated Eligibility and Registration Instructions (CERI) also identifies the following categories of persons who are eligible to receive services on an exceptional basis without being registered:
- Palestinians displaced as result of 1967 and subsequent hostilities as stated in United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2252 and in other subsequent resolutions;
- Other persons identified by the Commissioner-General as eligible to receive services for humanitarian and other policy reasons related to UNRWA’s mandate.
UNRWA’s Registered Population Dashboard displays the number and characteristics of Palestine refugees and other registered persons using interactive charts and tables which are updated quarterly. As of June 2020, UNRWA’s registered population is 6,336,238, including 5,663,790 Palestine refugees and 672,448 other registered persons. About 38% are registered in Jordan, 26% in Gaza, 17% in West Bank, 10% in Syria and 9% in Lebanon. Females and males account for 50% of registered persons respectively. In terms of age distribution, 30% of registered persons are below 18 years, 57% are between 18 and 59 years and 13% are 60 years are above. The average family size is 4.3 persons.
It is important to distinguish between registered and serviced population. Not all those who are registered with UNRWA receive the Agency’s services, and not all those who receive services are registered (see Q7). UNRWA is currently designing a Serviced Population Dashboard which will displays the number and characteristics of those receiving services in any given year.
Since its inception, UNRWA has stored registration records of several generations of Palestine refugees and other persons of concern. The physical files are archived in UNRWA’s five field offices in Amman, Beirut, Damascus, Jerusalem and Gaza. Most documents were digitised in the early 2000s, and electronic copies were stored in the Agency’s web-based Refugee Registration Information System (RRIS), which allows UNRWA staff to view and update registration information from over 60 area offices Agency-wide. The RRIS was designed for internal operational use only, and has not been upgraded for over ten years. UNRWA is currently planning to enhance its system based on international standards for civil registration, and provide refugees and other persons of concern with e-access to their own files (see Q12 and Q14).
UNRWA’s registration records are based on official documentation supplied voluntarily by Palestine refugees and other persons of concern. New births, deaths, marriages, divorces and changes of residence are recorded any time a registered person submits relevant proof documents and requests the updating of the family registration card issued by the Agency. Given the voluntary nature of registration, UNRWA records are not necessarily up to date and should not be considered a civil registry. The main incentive to update registration information is when access to UNRWA’s services is being sought and as far as this affects service eligibility.
In June 2020, UNRWA launched a secure and user-friendly Online Registration Application in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and Gaza that can be used to submit proof documents and update registration records without having to approach UNRWA offices in person. It is a first step towards developing an integrated registration portal which will allow Palestine refugees and other persons of concern to directly access their records and download electronic documents pertaining to their family history over the last 70 years.
Transfer of registration records from one field to another requires official approval from the relevant host authorities. Since this is rarely granted, the field of registration of Palestine refugees and other persons of concern typically reflects the place where their ancestors first registered with UNRWA and not necessarily their current location. Palestine refugees and other persons of concern who are not legal residents in the country or territory where they live may also face challenges in obtaining identity papers and other official documentation required to update UNRWA’s records such as marriage, divorce, birth and death certificates.
As per UNRWA’s Consolidated Eligibility and Registration Instructions (CERI), the status of Palestine refugee is hereditary through the patrilineage and so is the status of frontier villager, Jerusalem poor and Gaza poor (see Q2, Q4 and Q5). Non-refugee wives, non-refugee husbands and non-refugee children are eligible to register for services because of their family relationships (see Q3). Accordingly, individual registration records are organised under family ledgers and linked to ancestral files dating back to pre-1948 Mandatory Palestine. UNRWA is currently planning to restructure its registration system so as to issue individual registration cards, while preserving information about family relationships and links to ancestral files.
UNRWA’s family registration card displayed family and individual information in English and Arabic (see Annex 1). Given the voluntary nature of UNRWA registration and the challenges faced by some in obtaining official documents from host authorities, the information is not necessarily up to date (see Q11 and Q13).
Family Information:
- Name of Head of Family
- Family Registration Number
- Previous Family Registration Number
- Place of Origin in Palestine
- Registration Field and Area
- Residential Address
Individual Information:
- Individual Registration Number
- Name
- Date of Birth
- Sex
- Relation to the Head of Family
- Marital Status
- Registration Category
Some registered persons may still hold the previous version of UNRWA’s Family Registration Card (see Annex 2). Others may hold a Family Registration Certificate or a Family Composition Printout from the RRIS (see Annexes 3 and 4), as well as documents attesting what UNRWA services they have or have not received.
UNRWA’s Family Registration Cards have several security features that make them extremely difficult to replicate. Family Registration Certificates, Family Composition Printouts and other documents with UNRWA logo/stamp are potentially easier to falsify. However, only very few cases of document fraud have occurred in recent years. In case of doubt, UNRWA can be contacted to verify the document authenticity.
UNRWA assists governmental authorities, UNHCR and other organisations to verify registration records of Palestine refugees and other persons of concern seeking asylum outside its fields of operation. Registration verification requests can be sent to [email protected]. After a thorough search in the RRIS, UNRWA staff respond to the issuer with a verification certificate attesting the person’s registration status. To safeguard confidentiality and privacy rights, requests are only processed upon receipt of a signed copy of the Registration Verification Form by the person whose registration status is to be verified. UNRWA is currently developing an online verification portal which will be fully integrated with its new registration system and will allow requests to be managed in a more streamlined and efficient manner.
Besides verifying registration status, when available UNRWA may provide copies of civil certificates or other documents attesting where a registered person was born, lived and received services. In all cases, previous written consent by the person in question is required.
Registration with UNRWA does not guarantee legal residence or physical protection in the country or territory of registration. UNRWA does not manage refugee camps and is not responsible for law and order in its fields of operation, which fall within the sovereignty of the respective host authorities. The Agency is not in a position to make a statement in relation to the specific legal status of each registered person and his/her ability to receive protection from the host authority, but may assist in identifying particularly vulnerable groups.
Compromise Cases are persons of Lebanese origin who were working in Palestine but not permanently residing there until 15 May 1948, who suffered loss of livelihood and hardship as a result of the 1948 conflict. Persons who are currently registered in this category are eligible to receive UNRWA services. Their descendants, however, are not eligible to register to receive UNRWA services. UNRWA does not accept new applications from persons wishing to be registered in this category.
Jerusalem Poor and Gaza Poor are persons whose normal place of residence until 15 May 1948 was East Jerusalem or Gaza City, who lost their work or properties and suffered hardship as a result of the 1948 conflict. Persons who are currently registered in this category are eligible to receive UNRWA services. Descendants of such already registered persons through the male line are also eligible to register to receive UNRWA services. Except for such descendants, UNRWA does not accept new applications from persons wishing to be registered in this category.
Non-Refugee Family Members include Non-Refugee Wives, Non-Refugee Husbands and Non-Refugee Children. Non-Refugee Wives are women who are (or were) married to a registered refugee. Non-Refugee Husbands and Non-Refugee Children are husbands and descendants, including legally adopted children, of women who are registered refugees and are (or were) married to a non-refugee. These non-refugee family members and their descendants are eligible to register to receive UNRWA services.
Palestine Refugees are persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948 and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict. Palestine Refugees, and descendants of Palestine refugee males, including legally adopted children, are eligible to register for UNRWA services. The Agency accepts new applications from persons who wish to be registered as Palestine Refugees.
According to UNRWA’s Consolidated Eligibility and Registration Instructions (CERI) of 2009, the following categories of persons are eligible to register with UNRWA and receive the Agency’s services:
(1) Palestine refugees
(2) Non-Refugee Family Members
(3) Frontier Villagers
(4) Jerusalem Poor and Gaza Poor
(5) Compromise Cases
It should be noted that the provision of services is dependent on UNRWA’s budget as well as other UNRWA’s Instructions, Regulations and Rules. It therefore varies over time and between fields what services are available and to which categories of persons.