Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
28
Somalis and Ethiopians have fled violence in Yemen to return to their country of origin or
travel to third destinations (such as Djibouti).35
The dynamic is very different when one does not have a country of origin to return to. Such is
the case of the Palestinians. Of the 560,000 Palestinians registered with UNRWA in Syria, it is
estimated that over 110,000 have fled the country and 280,000 are internally displaced.36
Palestinians seeking refuge abroad have faced particular difficulties due to their uncertain
citizenship status.37 Jordan has closed its border to Palestinians from Syria, Lebanon prevents
Palestinians from Syria from working in many professions and requires a lengthy work visa
application procedure, and Egypt has barred Palestinians from registering with UNHCR,
precluding them from the benefits of resettlement, health care, and other assistance.38
Stranded in neighboring countries with little support or prospect of prompt return,39 UNRWA
estimates that at least 60,000 have fled the immediate region of Jordan, Lebanon, and
Palestine, with many seeking refuge in Europe.40
Highly urbanized refugee populations
Most refugees in the Middle East, especially Syrians, reside in urban areas instead of camps in
their host country. Of 2.7 million41 Syrians currently being sheltered in Turkey (see Chapter
3), over 75 percent live outside of camps. Additionally, 80 percent of Syrian refugees in Jordan
reside outside of camps, mostly in the northern governorates close to the Syrian border and
Amman, the capital.42 Iraqi refugees in Jordan show similarly high levels of urbanization, with
close to 90 percent living in Amman.43
In Lebanon, the government has made a conscious choice to host refugees outside of camps.
This policy decision resulted from the Lebanese authorities’ belief that encampment policies
encourage refugees to permanently settle in the country, stemming from their experience with
Palestinian refugees. Therefore, the government has forbidden the creation of camps for
Syrian refugees.44 While this policy in theory provides refugees with greater mobility and
access to livelihoods, it has also hampered refugees’ access to basic services, which are highly
privatized in the Lebanese system.45
35 Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat, Regional Mixed Migration in the Horn of Africa and Yemen in 2015: End of year trend
summary and analysis (Nairobi: Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat, 2016), 2,
36 UNRWA, “Syria Crisis,” accessed August 1, 2016
37 In Syria, children of Palestinian fathers or grandfathers are considered to be Palestinian. Even if the mother is Syrian,
children only receive Syrian citizenship in very limited circumstances, such as the absence or statelessness of the father.
Palestinians in Syria are provided with travel documents and maintain rights in Syria, but they do not hold a Syrian
passport that could grant them visa-free travel and expedited asylum procedures in certain countries. Kait Bolongaro,
“Palestinian Syrians: Twice refugees,” Al Jazeera, March 23, 2016,
38 Leah Morrison, “The vulnerability of Palestinian refugees from Syria” Forced Migration Review, no. 47 (2014): 41-42,
39 As of 2014, two thirds of Palestinian camps in Syria had been destroyed or were ravaged by conflict. Ibid.
40 Bolongaro, “Palestinian Syrians: Twice refugees”
41 While the exact figure is uncertain, as many forced migrants have moved on to Europe without deregistering with the
Turkish authorities, this is the UNHCR reported number as of July 28, 2016
42 UNHCR, “Jordan Factsheet: May 2016,” accessed July 25, 2016,
43 UNHCR, “Registered Iraqis in Jordan,” updated April 15, 2016,
44 Venetia Rainey, “Lebanon: No formal refugee camps for Syrians,” Al Jazeera, March 11, 2015,
45 Olivier Beucher and Teresa de los Reyes Vazques del Pino, “EU Cooperation with third countries in the area of migration,
asylum and assistance to displaced persons (needs, challenges and opportunities) – the Lebanon case” (paper prepared for