The Chairman’s Summary

Distinguished participants, we are concluding two days of informative and interesting discussions on the data base theme within the context of the challenges of the Refugee Working Group. As Shepherd, and on behalf of the whole seminar, I want to express our warmest thanks to FAFO both for organizing this meeting and for their fine work to furnish the RWG with high-quality and fresh data on the various aspects of the situation for refugees. I want to express my gratitude to all the participants for constructive comments, and I call on all of you to give any further feedback to the FAFO studies which may emerge through reading the material handed out to you during this meeting. The Shepherd will be happy to present revised reports to the RWG meeting in December.

This meeting has emphasised the importance of data and of establishing a factual base for our work to improve the living conditions for refugees, and for addressing the issues involved in finding a just and comprehensive settlement of the refugee problem. As the process of peace negotations proceeds, and the readiness on all sides to address more and more delicate challenges increases, the needs for a solid base of policy relevant data also expand. Scientific research can help establish this base by providing data and by offering interpretations and analytical concepts. Interpretations and data, as they are becoming a part of the public domain, will, in itself, help crystallize the public opinion. This way, data and scientific interpretations participate in changing the world both through stimulating the public discourse and through informing public policy.

The Shepherd holds the opinion that this meeting made significant steps in the right direction. In reviewing the results of the FAFO studies that the RWG recommended during its Cairo meeting, the Intersessional welcomed the efforts made in order to supplement the existing data of relevance to the refugee issue. The discussions following the presentation of the study of refugee camps, reported in Finding Ways, emphasised the need for studies that are portraying the daily life of the refugees in informative ways. It seemed to be a consensus that qualitative and quantitative studies supplement each other. Further, FAFO was encouraged to consider extending the study to include camps in Gaza and Syria. If the study could include other regions of the diaspora as well, it would be in a better position to address the coping strategies and adaptations more fully. Some delegates called for surveys as a follow-up in order to complement the anthropological insight with statistically valid generalizations. Some delegates called for reseach to inform the RWG on psycho-social aspects of the refugee condition. The importance of including research on the youngest cohorts of the refugee population, i.e. children under 15 years old, was emphasized by some delegates. An inventory of existing research on the Palestinians was recommended.

The meeting also congratulated FAFO on the comprehensive analysis and presentation of the potential of UNRWA administrative data for research purposes. Taking into account that UNRWA gathered its data for administrative and operational rather than scientific purposes, the meeting expressed that projects aiming at preserving and making more accessible the files and archives of UNRWA are welcome. The participants received with satisfaction the information from UNRWA that the Agency is preparing two projects for submission to potential donors to preserve its records and data, make them more accessible and improve their potenital for programme planning and monitoring. These projects will be presented by the Agency at the next plenary meeting of the RWG.

The Shepherd further holds the impression that the political processes are progressing in a way which creates a need to address more and more complex issues. The progress in the current negotiations between Israel and PLO, and the successful signing of a peace agreement between Jordan and Israel, open up means for demystifying the refugee issues by drawing more challenging themes related to the refugee problem into the focus of our debate. There is an increasing need to prioritize our data base efforts strategically to the needs of these political processes.

Some delegates pointed to the need for comprehensive benchmark statistics concerning the refugee population and suggested to perform a regional refugee census. Such an undertaking would require the installation of a region-wide cooperation mechanism supported by all the relevant authorities. Among ways of improving coordination, it was suggested that the use of telecommunication networking for the purposes of data exchange be introduced and upgraded. Others welcomed the ideas of projects to be conducted on the basis of UNRWA data, and urged to coordinate such projects with the needs of other Working Groups.

The need for international support to Palestinian researchers, academics and institutions and to statistical agencies in refugee host countries in producing data was emphasised. There seemed to be a consensus that a systematic compilation of available research data is needed. The role of the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics in providing continuity and consistency in data collection for planning was welcomed, and some also called for this Bureau to engage with UNRWA to take care of data concerning all refugees in the region.

The participants welcomed the progress made in launching the Jordan Living Condition Survey, and pointed at the historical opportunity for making region-wide comparisons through extending living conditions surveys to more countries in the region. One of the advantages of these region-wide surveys, is that they provide data on refugees as segments of the host-countries and within the context of monitoring the living conditions for the whole populations.

Existing RWG research has so far addressed the refugee issue in terms of the improvement of material conditions for refugees and their adaptation to the host societies. For the research to be comprehensive some delegates felt that the full range of possible scenarios and concrete future choices should be laid out, in line with the relevant existing UN Resolutions pertaining to Palestinian refugees.

Oslo, October 26-27, 1994.