A Success Story in Times of Despair - Research Proposal Example

Department UNRWA in Lebanon: A Success Story in Times of Despair? Research mentor: delivery: Table of Contents Introduction 3 Thesis Statement/Research Questions 10 Rationale 10 Aims and Objectives 11 Approach / Methodology 12 Research focus 12 Research design 12 Research Limitations 12 Preliminary Results and Discussion 13 Plan of Work and Timetable 14 Research Implications 14 References 15 Introduction Following the Israeli-Arab war of 1948, over 100 000 Palestinians, who had lost their homes and livelihoods, fled to Lebanon. In turn, after the 1967 Arab-Israeli conflict and the 1970 PLO’s attempt to take over Jordan, aka the Black September, the number of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon dramatically increased – to reach the staggering ten-percent of Lebanon’s population, or over 420 000 people, being scattered throughout twelve refugee camps (The Leap Program). The Palestinian identity in Lebanon is considered relatively intact due to several factors, which help refugees to preserve their culture and traditions (The Leap program). Such factors are the refugees’ common origin, at least for the most part, continued advocacy of their “right to return” under UN Resolution 194 of 11 December 1948, and their perceived image as a group of oppressed and marginalized people (Allen 163; The Leap Program). While Israel’s defiance of Resolution 194 represents a serious impediment to their return, the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon – as compared to other host countries – face considerable social and economic discrimination (The Leap Program). Thus, being totally deprived of a representative authority, as well as of international legitimacy, the Palestinians have long been in a dialogue with the international audience, including the international public opinion, the Arab world and the UN (Allen 173). On the other hand, they have become almost completely dependent on the international humanitarian assistance for their livelihood (The Leap Program). The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees in the Near East –UNRWA – has been officially established on December 8, 1949, with the aim of providing relief, human development and other vital services to the Palestinian refugees and people displaced by the armed hostilities in the region; the Agency began its operations on 1 May 1950 (The Leap Program; www.unrwa.org). Employing 2950 local staff in Lebanon, UNRWA runs various health, educational and relief programs, like the Social Safety Net Program providing food aid and cash subsidies to the poorest refugees, specific projects dealing with educational and health issues, business development, training, etc. (www.unrwa.org; EC Support to UNRWA; UN System in Lebanon). During the 2007-2008 school year, for example, 36 543 pupils have been enrolled in 83 schools, including nine secondary schools, while two training centers offer semi-professional and vocational courses (UN System in Lebanon). Since hospitalization has always been a serious issue for the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, the health program launched by UNRWA in 2010 was intended to address the provision of primary healthcare, as well as better and affordable hospital care. A network of health centers and hospitals currently provides both preventive health care and treatment for the Palestinian refugees under the auspices of UNRWA (UN System in Lebanon). Thus, virtually all registered Palestinian refugees’ children are fully immunized and a range of environmental health services are provided for the twelve camps (UN System in Lebanon). As a rule, UNRWA concentrates its relief efforts on the poorest strata of the refugee population, providing them with food aid, shelter, as well as selective cash assistance; in addition, the relief program promotes self-reliance and poverty alleviation via a range of community development projects (UN System in Lebanon). In that regard, UNRWA supports both financially and technically nine women’s program centers in Lebanon, along with a rehabilitation center, in providing various skills training, childcare facilities, and other social services for the Palestinian refugees (UN System in Lebanon). Additionally, the refugees do not own the land on which their houses are built, but only have the right to use the land; as a rule, these plots of land are either state- or private owned and placed at the disposal of UNRWA to accommodate the Palestinian refugees (The Leap Program). Although, it is UNRWA responsibility to build and set up the necessary facilities that cater to refugees’ needs, the Agency does not own, administer or police the camps (The Leap Program). Insofar as the twelve refugee camps across Lebanon still occupy the same area as in the early 1950s, the considerable increase in population has brought about desperate living conditions due to overcrowding, lack of infrastructure improvement, hence abysmal environmental health conditions, etc. (UN System in Lebanon). Therefore, in 2005, UNRWA launched a Camp Improvement Initiative in cooperation with PLO and the Lebanese government, aimed at addressing the problems in the camps (UNRWA). The 2007 conflict between Fatah Al-Islam and the Lebanese army, involving heavy aerial and artillery bombardment, led to the destruction of Nahr el-Bared camp (Nahr el-Bared Information Pack). That, in turn, faced UNRWA with severe challenges, meeting the refugees’ needs for adequate living conditions, including basic infrastructure and sanitation, as well as providing essential health, education, relief and social services (Nahr el-Bared Information Pack; UNRWA). Since all UNRWA-run health facilities had been destroyed during the conflict, the Agency opened two temporary clinics in 2008 and signed agreements with four hospitals in Northern Lebanon; however, meeting the hospitalization costs of those refugees displaced from Nahr el-Bared camp is still a major challenge, along with the costs of rental subsidies for over 3000 refugee families who continue to live in temporary housing (UNRWA). Having launched a series of public health initiatives, aimed at raising awareness about communicable diseases, family-planning and child immunization, the Agency also constructed several schools for students displaced from the Nahr el-Bared camp (UNRWA). Ever since it got established, the Agency has heavily relied on donations, including for its regular budget used for paying the salaries of Agency’s teachers, medical and social workers, as well as covering contingency requirements, and maintenance reserves (EC Support to UNRWA; www.unrwa.org). Nearly 98 per cent of all funding received in 2009, for example, had come from voluntary contributions, as well as mostly from donor states and organizations, including the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Commission, etc. (www.unrwa.org). The European Commission alone has contributed 113 million Euro in 2008, including to the Organizational Development Plan aimed at strengthening the Agency’s management capacity, humanitarian and food aid for UNRWA’s emergency appeals, i.e. emergency employment, promotion of employment, shelter rehabilitation, food aid programs, etc. (EC Support to UNRWA). Moreover, having provided assistance to UNRWA in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp, the European Union also funded a recent UNRWA’s educational project, aimed at improving the educational facilities for Palestinian refugees (EC Support to UNRWA; UN System in Lebanon; Financial Tracking Service). The UNRWA’s 2012 regular budget amounted to over 650 million US dollars, excluding the specific projects, as against 422 188 registered Palestinian refugees in Lebanon – 53 per cent of them registered in the twelve refugee camps across the country and 47 per cent – outside the camps (UNRWA; UN System in Lebanon). Despite the considerable achievements of UNRWA in the field of humanitarian aid, relief, human development, etc., or, more generally, in providing protection for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, there are two major factors that place constraints on the Agency’s efforts to reach a lasting solution to the most exigent issues. The political volatility of the region per se presents a formidable impediment to making much progress towards refugees’ protection insofar as has brought about destruction and a flagrant violation of basic human rights on a massive scale, e.g. the destruction of Nahr el-Bared refugee camp, the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the 2006 Hezbollah-Israeli war, etc. (US Department of State and UNRWA 3). On the one hand, apart from the casualties suffered, the destruction of basic infrastructure, sanitation and vital urban facilities, like schools, hospitals, etc., has led to continued, additional deterioration in refugees’ living conditions, hence quality of life. On the other hand, the hostilities not only make the realization of UNRWA’s projects extremely difficult, if not impossible, but also demand a lot of extra funding, which, in turn, puts a bigger strain on the Agency’s budget. The second major impeding factor is the current economic situation worldwide, namely the deep economic recession experienced by virtually all donor states and regular contributors to UNRWA’s budget and specific core programs. Thus, despite the history of US partnership with UNRWA, as well as the agreed common strategic objectives, goals and targets, a proposed amendment to the Fiscal Year 2013 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill, concerning Palestinian refugees and UNRWA, provides for decreased US funding to UNRWA and, in turn, a curtailed support for certain categories of Palestinian refugees (Nides 2; US Department of State and UNRWA 1-3). Not surprisingly therefore, UNRWA faces serious shortfalls in funds; while the war against terrorism, along with the related measures to prevent members of PLA and other guerilla-type organizations from being furnished with cash subsides or other assistance, has added to UNRWA’s funding woes (US Department of State and UNRWA 3). Against the background of rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the region, most notably as a consequence of the civil conflict in Syria, the current cuts in funding, along with the volatile political environment, would severely sap UNRWA’s efforts to provide education, health, relief and social assistance for Palestinian refugees, as well as to promote their human development via improving living conditions, economic potential, livelihoods and human rights; hence UNRWA’s traditional role as a stabilizing force in the Middle East would be called into question (Nides 2; US Department of State and UNRWA). Such a trend poses a serious threat to the regional stability insofar as UNRWA is regarded as an important counterweight to extremist organizations, like Hezbollah and Hamas (Nides 2). Thus, the humanitarian vacuum created after eventual UNRWA’s defeat would be filled by terrorist elements, bringing about another wave of violence and destruction in the region and furthermore plunging Palestinian refugee families into deeper discrimination, isolation, and social exclusion (ANERA 2). This research is aimed to perform a specific analysis of UNRWA’s achievements in providing protection, humanitarian aid, relief and social services for, and promoting human development of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, in order to determine the success rate for the Agency’s efforts. In other words, the research aims to provide better understanding of UNRWA’s activities with all their strengths and weaknesses, as well as to weigh them against the current state of affairs in the Palestine refugee camps in the region. The possible dangers of undermining or compromising the stabilizing role of the Agency in the Middle East will be also reviewed, as against the development of human rights and foreign aid economy as a significant sector of employment in the region, most notably in the occupied territories, with the “highest levels of multilateral per capita foreign aid in the world” (World Bank, Lasensky and Grace, cited in Allen 164). Finally, the research intends to better explain why the absolute Palestinian dependency on foreign aid, being mainly due to lack of permanent solution to the issues concerning Palestinians’ representative authority and international legitimacy, is likely to dry up UNRWA’s funds in the conditions of worldwide economic troubles; which would consequently leave behind even a bigger humanitarian vacuum, dooming the hitherto efforts of the Agency to defeat. Five more sections are further presented within this proposal, in order to set the framework for developing the project: Thesis Statement/Research Questions – explaining the goals and objectives of the research, as well as its rationale. This section defines the boundaries of project and identifies the core issues that will be addressed by the research; Approach/Research Methodology – the section introduces the overall methodological approach to the project’s aims and objectives, including data collection, assumptions, research limitations and range of validity; Preliminary Results and Discussion – presents the already obtained results and discusses how they fit in the project’s framework; Plan of Work and Timetable – describes the stages of project’s completion, indicates the deadline for each stage of the project and discusses particular challenges that need to be overcome; Research Implications – states the practical importance of the research aims and objectives, as well as the probable benefits of this project. Thesis Statement/Research Questions Rationale Having started operations over six decades ago, UNRWA is generally regarded as a force for stability in the region of Middle East, whose programs and institutions serve as important counterweights to militant organizations, like Hezbollah and Hamas (Nides 2). In its efforts to provide education, healthcare, relief, social services and other assistance for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, the Agency has launched a number of programs and specific projects, being mostly financed by voluntary contributions from donor states and organizations (US Department of State and UNRWA). Nevertheless, the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon are considered the worst in the whole region, with appalling scenes of human misery, including abject poverty, open sewerage, rotting piles of garbage, overcrowded decaying temporary housing, jerry-rigged electrical wires, contaminated water, etc. (ANERA). Whereas the political volatility of the region and the absence of lasting solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, along with the current economic recession and consequent cuts in government spending, are pretty likely to drain UNRWA’s resources, the current state of affairs of the refugees – both in and outside the camps – quite reasonably begs the question whether UNRWA succeeds or fail in its attempts to ensure that Palestinian refugees “live in dignity and enhanced human development potential until comprehensive and just solution is secured” (US Department of State and UNRWA). Aims and Objectives The overall aim of the research is to provide better understanding of UNRWA’s activities with all their strengths and weaknesses, as well as to weigh them against the current situation in the Palestine refugee camps in Lebanon. Thus, the research would suggest starting points for further discussion concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of UNRWA’s operations in Lebanon, aimed at their improvement. Hence, there are two specific aims of this research, as follows: 1. To perform a specific analysis of UNRWA’s achievements in providing protection, humanitarian aid, relief and social services for, and promoting human development of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, in order to determine the success rate for the Agency’s efforts; 2. To outline the starting points for discussion that would eventually lead to improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of Agency’s operations. The following objectives cater for achieving the above-stated aims: To examine all evidence, derived from the available literature, including official statistics, governmental reports, study reports and case studies, governmental and non-governmental organizations’ reviews, etc., concerning UNRWA’s activities, programs and specific projects, aimed at providing protection for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon; To review and explain the possible dangers of undermining or compromising the stabilizing role of the Agency in the Middle East; To examine the available data concerning living conditions and access to public services of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon; To provide sufficient evidence that Palestinian refugees’ dependency on foreign aid, as represented by the development of human rights and foreign aid economy, is likely to dry up UNRWA’s funds in the conditions of present-day economic recession; To evaluate the achievements of UNRWA in the field of humanitarian aid, relief, human development, to determine the constraints on its activity and to suggest alternatives; Approach / Methodology Research focus The project is focused on evaluation the success rate of UNRWA’s humanitarian and social projects, programs and initiatives, aimed at providing protection for, and promoting human development of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Research design The method adopted for this project is an extensive study of relevant literature, including newspaper articles, online publications, interviews, statistics, study reports and case studies, governmental and non-governmental organizations’ reports and reviews dealing with the issue, which are considered significant for the project. The criteria for the selection of relevant literature are set by the research focus, along with the research aims and objectives; additionally, different points of view are taken into account. Research Limitations The subject scope of the research will be limited to the humanitarian and social activities, programs and specific projects of UNRWA in Lebanon while the depth of the research will be limited by the available data in the relevant literature, as well as the author’s level of competence. The geographic scope of the research will be limited to Lebanon, with the exception of certain examples as counterpoint. Preliminary Results and Discussion According to the widespread opinion, UNRWA is unique in terms of “its long-standing support to one group of refugees, as it has now effectively contributed to the welfare and human development of three generations of Palestinian refugees” (Australian Government 2). The Agency is also considered a force for stability in the region via its mandate as a humanitarian organization (Nides 2). UNRWA is not only commended for its work to provide vital services to Palestinian refugees for more than six decades, but is also regarded as an important counterweight to extremist organizations, like Hezbollah and Hamas (Nides 2; US Department of State and UNRWA 1). UNRWA’s recent reform process and current strategic plan (2011-2015) are thought to provide a stronger results chain from activities to the goal result statements, as well as a move towards the right direction (Australian Government 4). Nevertheless, there are certain voices that UNRWA actually sustains the wretched state of Palestinian refugees, mainly by exonerating the local governments, most notably Israel, Lebanese government and the Palestinian authority, from all responsibility (Baker). The humanitarian and social devastation after the thirteen-years-long civil war in Lebanon, however, along with the lack of tangible progress in the Middle East peace process, hence Israel’s opposition to the repatriation of the refugees to their homes in Palestine, make such assumptions more or less unreasonable (Zakharia). On the other hand, the political volatility of the region and the current economic recession, as combined with refugees’ absolute dependency on foreign aid, undoubtedly have the potential to undermine the realization of UNRWA’s activities, projects and initiatives, hence to create a bigger humanitarian vacuum, dooming the hitherto efforts of UNRWA to defeat. Plan of Work and Timetable The research will proceed in two phases, as follows: during the first phase the data collection will be performed in order to lay the groundwork for the second one, and the information will be analyzed with relevance to the research aims and objectives. The second phase will consist in preparing and producing the research manuscript. Phase one Timing Data collection and analysis Phase two Timing Preparation of the manuscript Research Implications As stated in the previous sections, there are differing opinions on the real value of UNRWA’s activities aimed at providing humanitarian assistance, relief and social service to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Against the background of rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the region, what is really important is to critically evaluate the success rate for the Agency’s efforts, with all their strengths and weaknesses, and to weigh the results against the financial input and possible alternatives. With regard to the stated above, the practical importance of this research is to outline the starting points for discussion that would eventually lead to improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of Agency’s operations. References Allen, Lori A., “Martyr Bodies in the Media: Human rights, aesthetics, and the politics of immediation in the Palestinian intifada”, American Ethnologist Vol. 36, No.1 (2009), pp.161-180. Print. ANERA, “Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon”, ANERA Reports on the Ground in the Middle East Vol. 3, June 2012. Web. 28 April 2013. http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Refugees.pdf Australian Government, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA): Australian Multilateral Assessment, March 2012. Print. Baker, Rana, “UNRWA Aid Sustains Palestinian Misery”, Al-Monitor Palestinian Pulse, April 10, 2013. Web. 15 May 2013. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/04/unrwa-sustains-israeli-occupation.html EC Support to UNRWA. Web. 15 April 2013. http://eeas.europa.eu/palestine/docs/ec_unrwa_factsheet_en.pdf Financial Tracking Service, Lebanon Emergencies for 2012: List of All Humanitarian Pledges, Commitments & Contributions in 2012, OCHA Report. Web. 15 May 2013. http://fts.unocha.org/reports/daily/ocha_R10c_C118_Y2012_asof___1305150203.pdf Morris, Nicholas, What Protection Means for UNRWA in Concept and Practice. Consultant’s Report, 31 March 2008. Web. 15 April 2013. http://www.unrwa.org/userfiles/20100118155412.pdf Nahr el-Bared Information Pack, Nahr el-Bared Camp: 2007 Crisis, Displacement and Emergency Response. Web. 17 April 2013. http://www.unrwa.org/userfiles/2010011944826.pdf Nides, Thomas R., Deputy Secretary of State, A Letter to the Chairman of the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, Committee on Appropriations, US Senate, May 24, 2012. Web. 27 May 2013. http://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DepSec-State-Opposes-Kirk-Amdt.pdf The Leap Program, UNRWA and Palestine refugees: About UNRWA, 2010-2013. Web. 15 April 2013. http://www.leap-program.org/learn-more/unrwa-and-palestine-refugees/ UN System in Lebanon, UNRWA: UNRWA in Lebanon, 2011. Web. 15 April 2013. http://www.un.org.lb/Subpage.aspx?pageid=65 UNRWA: Outline of Protection Initiatives. Web. 20 April 2013. http://www.unrwa.org/userfiles/file/publications/UNRWA-Protection.pdf UNRWA, Projects in Lebanon. Web. 16 April 2013. http://www.unrwa.org/etemplate.php?id=72 UNRWA, Peace Starts with UNRWA. Web. 15 April 2013. http://www.unrwa.org/userfiles/2011120121038.pdf UNRWA Programme Coordination and Support Unit (PCSU), UNRWA Statistics – 2010: Selected Indicators, November, 2011. Web. 27 April 2013. http://www.unrwa.org/userfiles/2011120434013.pdf US Department of State and UNRWA, “Framework for Cooperation between UNRWA and the Government of the United States of America for 2012”, December 2011. Web. 28 April 2013. http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/186031.pdf Zakharia, Leila, “Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon”, Social Watch. Web. 15 May 2013. http://www.socialwatch.org/node/10601 Read More