Revelations that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is issuing housing certificates to displaced Syrians have provoked strong political reactions in Lebanon.
Hezbollah MP Ibrahim al-Moussawi was the first to announce that the UN agency is issuing housing certificates to Syrian refugees, a decision he publicly criticized, as these documents are usually delivered by the Lebanese mukhtars, on behalf of the Lebanese State.
“The UNHCR is attacking Lebanese sovereignty by issuing housing attestations to displaced Syrians,” Moussawi posted on the X platform. He called for “immediate measures against the UNHCR to deter it.”
Lebanese Forces MP Razi al-Hajj also criticized this procedure, stating on his X account that the issuance of such certificates “violates the memorandum of understanding dated September 9, 2003” that determines the procedure related to asylum seekers in Lebanon. “Issuing such documents is considered a flagrant violation of the law and national sovereignty,” Hajj emphasized, revealing that he has already asked Lebanese authorities to take necessary measures against UNHCR.
However, UNHCR defended its actions by clarifying, on its website, that the attestations are “critical for refugees to renew their legal residency in Lebanon.” They noted that “this practice has been ongoing since 2016 in coordination with Lebanese authorities. The housing attestation is an essential document for refugees to be able to obtain legal residency in Lebanon and then be able to benefit from basic services, such as registering their children in school.”
