Within the framework of the multilateral track of the Middle East peace negotiations a working group has been established to deal with the sensitive question of Palestinian refugees. Canada chairs the Refugee Working Group, while a number of additional countries have assumed responsibility for coordinating specific aspects to be discussed by the group. These countries are known as "shepherds" in their respective fields. The US and Russia are co-sponsors of the multilateral track, and thus also key participants in the working groups.

Norway is the shepherd for databases in the Refugee Working Group, and the Norwegian Foreign Ministry has engaged Fafo to carry out the practical tasks related to this responsibility. Fafo has undertaken a number of research projects aimed at exploring various aspects of the situation of the refugees and to generate data to be utilized by the group. One of the best known projects is the Survey of Living Conditions among Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank and Arab Jerusalem. Fafo has also carried out studies of Palestinian refugees' coping strategies and of the potential of administrative data gathered by the UN organisation for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, for research on the situation of the refugees. Fafo has established and maintains an inventory of recent research on Palestinian refugees. On behalf of the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, Fafo has hosted three so-called Intersessional expert seminars on databases in Oslo.

• Detailed overview of Fafo' s projects for the Refugee Working Group

• The Refugee Working Group in the multilateral peace talks.

• Fafo's publications on Palestinian refugees.

• Inventory of research on palestinian refugees.

• Other relevant projects.