“Bolster efforts to assist Palestinians residing in Lebanon and lacking identity documents so that it will be possible for them to live a decent life” - 
Recommendation No. 84.11. formulated by Palestine, during the Universal Periodic Review interactive dialogue;
it was approved and welcomed by the official Lebanese delegation during the last Lebanon report, presented in Geneva on 17/03/2011.

The situation of non-ID Palestinians residing in Lebanon since the early 1970’s has been in limbo with various legal and socio-economic implications. A non-ID is commonly understood as a person living in a country without any form of valid identification documents. In the case of Palestinians living in Lebanon, this generally involves three categories:
 

1. Those with expired identification documents (i.e. those who are in Lebanon without legal residence).

2. Those with a form of identification not endorsed by the Government (such as PLO documentation).

3. Those who do not possess any form of legal identification.
 

There are approximately 400,000 refugees registered in Lebanon. An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 are considered non-ID holders. The majority entered Lebanon between 1970 and 1982, carrying either Jordanian passports or Egyptian documents. At the time of their arrival their legal status did not present the challenge it does today.

With the departure of the PLO after 1982, many of these Palestinians were left without any form of legal identification or protection. Those that remained in Lebanon could not obtain residency permits. The Jordanian Government denied renewal of expired passports for many of these Palestinians. Also, UNRWA was unable to register them in Lebanon because many of them do not fall under UNRWA’s mandate or the category of 1948 refugees.

Non-ID Palestinian refugees lack valid documentation and thus receive limited financial aid from donor agencies. Fearful of detention, Palestinians with invalid residency permits rarely travel beyond the confines of the camps. Other major obstacles include limited access to hospital care and social services, higher education, employment, property ownership, and marriage registration. The non-IDs issue was seriously addressed in 2007 and a decision was taken to proceed with legalizing their status.

The LPDC, the PLO, UNRWA, and other partners coordinated dialogue with Egypt and Jordan on this matter. The discussion, however, has been delayed due to administrative issues.

The LPDC asked the PLO and UNRWA to verify names and to prepare the non-ID files to present to the Government. That process lead to the distribution of 995 identification cards for refugees who did not previously possess IDs.

The issue of the undocumented Palestinians is a focal point on the LPDC agenda; in view of their difficult legal, social and economic situation. In this regard, LPDC is working with the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities and all concerned stakeholders:
 

- To clarify and determine the reasons of the refusal of transactions and speed up the process with regard to the files under consideration;

- To implement the project of the Special Identification Card (SIC), that would be a tool for registration and documentation of births, marriages, divorces and deaths in the official records, since it will be approved by all official departments in Lebanon, notably the Directorate of Political and Refugees Affairs.

- To issue an official and clear circular that indicates specific uses of this card and relevant rights of the holder.

- To officially determine the procedural mechanism for the issuance and renewal requests.

- To extend the validity of the card to more than one year.

- To facilitate the renewal process of the card and avoid any possible discretionary process.

- To activate the regional communication and cooperation in this regard.