BEIRUT: Ten thousand additional Syrians have registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, bringing the total number of Syrians receiving aid from the agency to 677,000, the U.N. organization said this week.
UNHCR, in its weekly update on the status of Syrian refugees in Lebanon published Friday, also said that over 566,000 people were registered with the U.N. agency while 110,000 were still awaiting registration.
The organization also noted that Lebanese borders with Syria by and large remain open, although greater scrutiny of documents had resulted in a number of rejections at border points.
The U.N. agency also said that it was working closely with Lebanese authorities “to ensure access for persons in need of humanitarian assistance and international protection.”
Earlier this month, the Lebanese government enforced new border regulations requiring Syrians to provide valid identification and explain their reason for arrival.
Syrians with damaged identity documents are no longer allowed to enter Lebanon.
The measures largely affect Palestinian refugees coming from Syria.
Human Rights Watch said around 200 Palestinians were stranded between the Syrian and Lebanese borders Tuesday night.
Caretaker Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour said the new measures were aimed at organizing the refugees, saying that some crossing in the country were falsely claiming to be refugees in order to benefit from the limited assistance being provided to the displaced.
In its weekly report, UNHCR said it is working with other agencies to develop plans for the coming winter season. It said the plans would be finalized by next week.
The agency added that health awareness was a priority this week following the recent identification of three malnourished children in the Bekaa Valley.
Agencies are working on early identification and ensuring access to specialized clinics to treat the children.

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10/08/2013
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