The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) participated in a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council held under Item 9, which addresses issues related to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance. In a video intervention, the PRC called for justice for Palestinian refugees in Iraq and urged a review of policies adopted by both governmental and UN agencies operating in the country.

The intervention, delivered by researcher Hassan Al-Khaled, shed light on the plight of Palestinian refugees residing in Iraq since the 1948 Nakba. These refugees continue to be deprived of their most basic rights amid a sharp decline in services provided by the UNHCR, especially when compared to other refugee groups in Iraq.

Al-Khaled highlighted the systematic marginalisation faced by Palestinians in Iraq, including the absence of legal protection, denial of permanent residency and property rights, and discrimination in access to education, employment, and healthcare. These factors have led to a worsening of living conditions, pushing thousands of families to the brink of poverty and exclusion.

The PRC urged the UNHCR’s Iraq office to conduct a comprehensive review of its handling of the Palestinian refugee file and to ensure adherence to the principles of equality and non-discrimination as enshrined in international conventions.

The statement concluded by affirming that the demands of Palestinian refugees do not exceed their basic human rights: to be treated with dignity and fairness, equal to other refugees, without distinction or exclusion—until their right to return to their homeland, from which they were displaced in 1948, is realised.

Watch the statement: