Date: 8/10/2025
Damascus – Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Head of the Refugee Affairs Department, Dr. Ahmad Abu Holi, and the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Syrian Arab Republic, Dr. Samir Al-Rifai, met today (Wednesday) with Jennifer Austin, Deputy Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Syria.
The meeting discussed the situation of Palestinian refugees in Syrian camps, ways to enhance services provided to them, and the operational and service-related challenges facing UNRWA amid its worsening financial crisis. The talks also touched on UNRWA’s plans to receive Palestinian refugees who had fled from Syria to Lebanon and wish to voluntarily return to Syria.
The meeting, held at UNRWA headquarters in Damascus with the participation of several officials from both sides, focused on improving the quality of educational, health, and relief services in Palestinian camps, ensuring their continuity despite limited financial resources, and working to expand them without resorting to cuts that would affect service quality — including addressing the overcrowding problem in Yarmouk Camp schools.
Dr. Abu Holi praised UNRWA’s staff working in Syria and their commitment to continuing service delivery to Palestinian refugees despite the agency’s financial difficulties. He stressed that the continuation of its work under such challenging conditions reflects its humanitarian and international commitment toward the Palestinian refugees until they return to their homes from which they were displaced in 1948, in accordance with UN Resolution 194 — emphasizing that UNRWA’s role is indispensable and irreplaceable.
Dr. Abu Holi confirmed that the Palestine Liberation Organization closely follows the situation of Palestinian refugees displaced from Syria to Lebanon and maintains constant coordination with UNRWA in Lebanon to ensure the regular provision of food and emergency cash assistance without delay. He noted that the voluntary return of displaced Palestinian refugees from Lebanon to Syria remains the best option to preserve their dignity.
He urged UNRWA to find practical and immediate solutions to the overcrowding problem in Yarmouk Camp schools by rebuilding new schools or repairing damaged ones. He pointed out that the return of thousands of families to Yarmouk has increased pressure on Al-Majdal/Sarafand School, which operates in two shifts and was rehabilitated in September 2024. The school now accommodates over 1,600 students and is the only UNRWA school in the camp, making it unable to absorb additional students.
Dr. Abu Holi also called on UNRWA to rehabilitate its facilities in the Daraa, Yarmouk, and Ein Al-Tal camps to support returnees, and to increase the number of beneficiaries of home self-repair support projects to promote sustainable return and provide a safe environment for families returning to Yarmouk, Daraa, and Ein Al-Tal. He further encouraged UNRWA to continue its small business financing program and maintain the provision of multi-purpose cash assistance to a total of 426,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria.
For his part, Ambassador Al-Rifai emphasized that the Embassy of the State of Palestine in Damascus closely monitors the situation of refugees in coordination with UNRWA and works to strengthen cooperation between the agency and official Syrian authorities to meet refugees’ needs and improve their living conditions. He stressed that preserving UNRWA’s role is both a political and humanitarian necessity.
In turn, Jennifer Austin confirmed that UNRWA is preparing plans and possible scenarios for the return of Palestinian refugees from Lebanon to Syria, in order to provide them with all possible services. She emphasized that such return will be entirely voluntary, in line with international humanitarian law, which prohibits any form of forced return.
She also explained that UNRWA will soon begin restoring an additional school inside Yarmouk Camp to help reduce pressure on existing schools and ensure a better educational environment for students.
Austin affirmed that UNRWA will continue providing cash and in-kind assistance to families and encourage them to return to their homes in Yarmouk and other camps through support for reconstruction efforts, despite the serious financial challenges the agency faces.
The participants affirmed the continuation of joint coordination between the Department of Refugee Affairs and UNRWA to safeguard the agency’s mandate under UN Resolution 302, improve the quality of its humanitarian and service programs, and intensify efforts aimed at improving the living conditions of Palestinian refugees in Syria and ensuring their gradual return to their camps.
