Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Abdullah Bou Habib, announced in the wake of a meeting on Tuesday that an agreement has been reached between Lebanon and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) concerning the handing over of data on all the Syrian refugees residing on Lebanese territories.
“This comes after a long process of negotiations that began a year ago during a meeting with the High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, when we reached an initial promise to develop cooperation between the UN and the Lebanese sides. Lebanon considers the handing over of data a sovereign right, similar to that of other countries, to be familiar with the identity of the people on their territories,” Bou Habib said.
“This agreement also serves the interests of both parties, Lebanon and the UN, as well as the interests of donor countries in terms of mitigating the exploitation of donations,” Bou Habib added.
In turn, Lance Bartholomeusz, the General Counsel and Head of the Legal Affairs Service at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, stressed that the agreement “complies with international data protection standards.”
“The Lebanese government is committed not to use any data that is shared for purposes that violate international law; it has reaffirmed its commitment to the principle of non-refoulement and to its obligations under international and domestic laws,” Bartholomeusz added, confirming the UNHCR’s commitment and readiness to continue close cooperation to support Lebanon in moving forward.
