Visit of an EP Delegation of the Committee on Civil liberties, Justice and Home affairs (LIBE) to Lebanon. Meeting with representatives of Lebanese Parliament, visit of Siblin Training Centre, and statement by Yasine JABER, President of the Friendship committee with the EU, Claude MORAES, Head of Delegation and LIBE Chair, and Matthias SCHMALE, UNRWA Director.

meeting

visit

EU - Lebanon (T)

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

MORAES, Claude (S&D, UK)

EP delegation

Beirut

Lebanon

LIBE Delegation to Lebanon: meeting with representatives of Lebanese Parliament, visit of Siblin Training Centre, and statement by Matthias SCHMALE, UNRWA Director

Exterior of Lebanese Parliament (2 shots)

 Arrival of the LIBE delegation at the Lebanese Parliament

Round table of meeting with representatives of relevant committees at the Lebanese Parliament, MPs Robert GHANEM (President of the Administration and Justice Committee , Michel MOUSSA President of the Human Rights Committee and Yasine JABER, Friendship committee with the EU and other members of parliament (6 shots)

Yasine JABER, President of the Friendship committee with the EU, SOUNDBITE (in Arabic)

Claude MORAES, Head of Delegation and LIBE Chair, SOUNDBITE (in English), We in the EU understand our role, we are major providers of humanitarian aid, but we in this committee also understand the major challenges of the refugee crisis, we are embarked upon trying to improve what we understand needs to be improved, in relation to refugee resettlement, relocation. We understand the frustrations that have been expressed, and we want to do better. 

Arrival of the LIBE delegation at Siblin training centre (STC) (UNRWA) (5 shots)

Tour of facilities (classrooms, computer lab etc &ndash; 10 shots)

Focus group with students at rehabilitated library

Matthias SCHMALE, UNRWA DIRECTOR, SOUNDBITE (in English), We have abour 300,000 Palestinian refugees here in Lebanon, who regularly use and are dependent on UNRWA services, that includes 30,000 that have come over from Syria. Their main challenge is really is opportunities for a dignified life. They live in ghetto-like camps of which we have 12, and their main constraint is employment opportunities.The unemployment rate is very high, the Lebanese authorities have restricted 36 professions that they are not allowed to get employment in for example as doctors or engineers. They also don&rsquo;t have the right to own property.

Matthias SCHMALE, UNRWA DIRECTOR, SOUNDBITE (in English), We have two phenomena; we have Palestine refugee from Syria, the so called PRS, of which there are about 30,000. Many of them live in the Palestine camps and are hosted by the Palestinians who are born in this country. In addition, we also have Syrian Syrian refugees if that makes sense to you. And idneed, because they are so numerous, some of them in their desperation have also gone to the Palestinian camps and are hosted there.

Matthias SCHMALE, UNRWA DIRECTOR, SOUNDBITE (in English), Our hope is that beyond financial support, the EU will also make its voice heard in terms of also finding a solution to the Palestinian question, and in terms of host countries like Lebanon, impressing on the host government that maybe more can be done for a dignified life for these refugees. 