Palestinian Refugees Access to Registration and UNRWA Services
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COUNTRY REPORT June 2020 COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) Palestinian Refugees Access to registration and UNRWA services, documents, and entry to Jordan nyidanmark.dk © 2020 The Danish Immigration Service The Danish Immigration Service Farimagsvej 51A 4700 Næstved Denmark Phone: +45 35 36 66 00 newtodenmark.dk June 2020 All rights reserved to the Danish Immigration Service. The publication can be downloaded for free at newtodenmark.dk The Danish Immigration Service’s publications can be quoted with clear source reference. Front page map: UNRWA, Where We Work, n.d., url The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. PALESTINIAN REFUGEES - ACCESS TO REGISTRATION AND UNRWA SERVICES, DOCUMENTS, AND ENTRY TO JORDAN Contents Disclaimer .............................................................................................................................................. 3 Introduction and methodology ............................................................................................................... 4 Abbreviations and acronyms .................................................................................................................. 6 Terminology........................................................................................................................................... 7 Executive summary ................................................................................................................................ 8 Background .......................................................................................................................................... 10 1. Persons eligible to receive UNRWA’s services ................................................................................ 12 1.1. Palestine refugees and their descendants ...................................................................................... 12 1.2. Other groups eligible to registration and services .......................................................................... 13 1.2.1. Married to Non-Refugees (MNR) family members ................................................................. 14 1.3. Persons eligible to receive UNRWA services without being registered .......................................... 15 1.3.1. 1967 displaced persons and their descendants ...................................................................... 15 2. Registration and transfer of registration ........................................................................................... 16 2.1. Ifoatio stoed i UNRWAs egistatio sste ...................................................................... 16 2.2. Registration requirements for Palestine refugees and their descendants ..................................... 18 2.3. Registration requirements for other eligible groups ....................................................................... 19 2.4. Possiilit of egistatio fo pesos liig outside of UNRWAs fields of opeatio .................... 19 3. Documents ....................................................................................................................................... 21 3.1. UNRWA documents .............................................................................................................................. 21 3.1.1. Family registration card ................................................................................................................. 21 3.1.2. Possibility of obtaining documents online or from abroad ........................................................... 22 3.1.3. Possibility of re-obtaining documents in case they have been lost ............................................... 22 3.1.4. Meaning of numbers and codes on documents ............................................................................ 22 3.1.5. Prevalence of document fraud ...................................................................................................... 23 3.2. Other documents .................................................................................................................................. 23 4. UNRWA services ............................................................................................................................... 25 .. UNRWAs udget shotfall .................................................................................................................... 25 ... UNRWAs udget ........................................................................................................................... 25 4.1.2. Consequences of the US budget cuts in 2018 ............................................................................... 25 .. UNRWAs oe seies ......................................................................................................................... 26 4.2.1. Education Services ......................................................................................................................... 26 1 PALESTINIAN REFUGEES - ACCESS TO REGISTRATION AND UNRWA SERVICES, DOCUMENTS, AND ENTRY TO JORDAN 4.2.2. Relief and Social Services (RSS) ...................................................................................................... 27 4.2.3. Health Services ............................................................................................................................... 29 4.2.4. Infrastructure and Camp Improvement Programme ..................................................................... 30 ... UNRWAs Potetio Pogae .................................................................................................. 30 .. Eteal fatos ipatig UNRWAs delie of seies.................................................................... 31 4.3.1. Security-related issues preventing delivery of services ................................................................. 31 4.3.2. Population growth ......................................................................................................................... 32 4.3.3. Political dimensions ....................................................................................................................... 32 5. Access to Jordan for Palestinians ...................................................................................................... 33 5.1. Entry and re-entry requirements for Palestinians from Jordan ........................................................... 33 5.2. Entry and re-et euieets fo Palestiias fo UNRWAs othe fields of opeatio .............. 33 5.3. Entry and re-et euieets fo Palestiias fo outside of UNRWAs fields of opeatio e.g. Algeria and Libya) ........................................................................................................................................ 35 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................ 36 Consulted sources ........................................................................................................................................ 36 Written sources ........................................................................................................................................... 36 Appendix 1: Meeting minutes ............................................................................................................... 39 Meeting with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), HQ/Amman ................................................................................................................................ 39 Meeting with the Director-General of Department of Palestinian Affairs in Amman ................................ 57 Meeting with four Western embassies ....................................................................................................... 59 Skype meeting with Professor Susan Akram ............................................................................................... 62 Skype meeting with Professor Oroub El-Abed ............................................................................................ 68 E-mail correspondence with Francesca P. Albanese ................................................................................... 71 Appendix 2: Terms of Reference ........................................................................................................... 77 2 PALESTINIAN REFUGEES - ACCESS TO REGISTRATION AND UNRWA SERVICES, DOCUMENTS, AND ENTRY TO JORDAN Disclaimer This report was written according to the EASO COI Report Methodology.1 The report is primarily based on approved minutes from meetings with carefully selected sources; however, written material is used as well. Statements from sources are used in the report, and all statements are referenced. This report is not, and does not purport to be a detailed or comprehensive survey of all aspects of the issues addressed in the report and should be weighed against other available country of origin information relevant when addressing issues concerning Palestinians. The report at hand does not include any policy recommendations or analysis. The information in the report does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Danish