Housing and Property Restitution for Refugees and Displaced Persons: Implementing the Pinheiro Principles in the Middle East and North Africa
At this 20th anniversary of the Principles on Housing and Property Restitution for Refugees and Displaced Persons (the Pinheiro Principles), an inter-agency consortium has published the advanced version of the handbook for their implementation. This region-specific approach to restitution of housing, land and property (HLP) restitution is now available in both English and Arabic, following initiative and process that dates back nearly a decade. The original draft provided by HIC-HLRN Coordinator Joseph Schechla in 2018, has finally been published by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, UN Habitat and the Norwegian Refugee Council, who launched the new handbook at the Third Arab Land Conference at Rabat, Morocco, on 20 February 2025.
The realization of the right to housing and property restitution for refugees and internally displaced persons is essential for upholding human rights, achieving and sustaining durable peace and security, as well as enabling sustainable development and the continuous improvement of living conditions. These outcomes correspond with the obligations of states and align with the three main pillars of the UN Charter, reflected in the International Organization’s three policy-making Councils.
Since the approval of the Principles on Housing and Property Restitution for Refugees and Displaced Persons (the Pinheiro Principles) in 2005, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has witnessed both promising practices and significant challenges in realizing these rights. Current numbers of persons eligible for reparation across the region are conservatively estimated at almost 50 million, or some 11.6% of the region’s entire population. The gravity of the displacement and refugee situation in MENA makes this handbook and efforts based upon its lessons all the more relevant as a subject of special focus.
The handbook Housing and Property Restitution for Refugees and Displaced Persons: Implementing the Pinheiro Principles in the Middle East and North Africa [AR] is designed to provide practical guidance to national and international actors, institutions, and organizations working to protect the HLP rights of refugees and displaced persons. It contributes to achieving sustainable solutions by applying the Pinheiro Principles to achieve the criteria of remedy for the many caught up in displacement situations across the MENA region, many for decades.
This regional edition is an adaptation of the global 2007 Handbook and it takes stock of key tools developed since its publication, as well as efforts to apply the Pinheiro Principles in securing restitution rights, focusing on the unique challenges and opportunities for refugees and displaced persons in the MENA region. This Handbook also reflects the evolution of global policies on displacement, incorporating new approaches advocating for closer coordination and continuity between humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding efforts.
Recognizing that many displacement situations become protracted, the Handbook emphasizes solutions beyond immediate humanitarian aid, acknowledging that some displaced individuals and communities may opt for durable solutions other than voluntary return and that restitution is a key element, but it must be accompanied by measures that address the underlying structural issues contributing to conflict and displacement.
This Handbook is intended for professionals working in intergovernmental organizations, international and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and government institutions engaged in humanitarian aid, post-conflict recovery, reconstruction, and development related to refugees and displaced persons.
Download the handbook* below and enjoy reading!
Pinheiro Principles Handbook (English)
Pinheiro Principles Handbook (Arabic)
*This is an advance version of a work co-published by the United Nations, on behalf of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) – Regional Office of the Middle East and North Africa), FAO, IOM, UN-Habitat and the NRC.
Banner image: Montage of (L) Palestinian refugees whom Israeli forces expelled from their villages to Jordan in 1967 (photo dated 1969), by Tor Egeland/Alamy Stock; and (R) Yazidis fleeing from the Sinjar region under ISIS attacks toward the Syrian border in 2014, by Rudy Said/Reuters.
