Handbook of Refugee and Forced Migration Studies UNRWA and Palestinian Refugees displaced Palestinians, UNRWA’s registration and service eligibility have been bifurcated. After dropping the ‘need’ and ‘flight’ requirements, defined Palestine refugees and their descendants continue to be registered, but are not necessarily eligible for services. Later-displaced populations have also received services based on need for assistance, but are not registered on UNRWA’s rolls. Such persons can be removed from UNRWA registration if they are no longer in need, or if the category itself is phased out. Due to the lack of an authorising statute or a governing body with clear legal authority by UN member states, UNRWA’s mandate is on firmest ground as a legal matter regarding those activities clearly within its founding Resolution, or UNGA authorising Resolutions (as opposed to after-the-fact commendatory Resolutions). It remains unproven whether UNRWA can effectively deliver the refugee protection activities described in its MTS, activities similar to those UNHCR undertakes to advance legal rights for its beneficiaries. UNRWA can, and routinely now does, collaborate with UNHCR to promote temporary absorption for Palestinians in and from UNRWA areas. However, UNRWA agrees that on the core refugee protection right, the search for and implementation of durable solutions, it has no mandate, other than to highlight the need for a just and comprehensive solution for the refugee problem. 23

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