Building peace into refugee responses: Syrian refugees in Lebanon

This is an output from a project that was part of the fifth Applied Research Fund (ARF) on mixed migration flows. The ARF is executed by NWO-WOTRO in close collaboration with the Platform. The call aims to strengthen the evidence-base for security and rule of law policies and programming, addressing the root causes, and the dynamics and consequences of mixed migration flows within and from fragile and conflict-affected settings.

With an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees, Lebanon has the largest rate of refugees per capita in the world. Saferworld and the Lebanese Centre for Policy Studies (LCPS) researched dynamics between refugees, host communities, authorities and aid agencies in Lebanon.

While Lebanese communities have shown solidarity with Syrians fleeing the war, tensions over limited resources and growing insecurity are important challenges.

During 2017, Saferworld and LCPS interviewed Syrian refugees and Lebanese host communities in two locations in Lebanon, plus donors, civil society organisations and authorities.

Saferworld and LCPS's research explores the dangers of treating refugees as a security threat and highlights ways to build on positive relationships between refugees and host communities. The resulting report and policy briefing recommend:

• Refraining from framing the Syrian refugee crisis as a security threat – and adopting a more balanced approach to security.
• Ensuring interventions are sensitive to conflict and gender dynamics.