Lex TakkenbergARDD · Al Nahda Research Center
Lex Takkenberg
Juris Doctor
About
23
Publications
1,018
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75
Citations
Introduction
A Dutch National, Dr. Lex Takkenberg is Senior Advisor on the Question of Palestine at ARDD, and is non-resident Professor of Humanitarian Affairs at Fordham University. From 1989 until 2019, he worked in various field and headquarters positions with UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, most recently at its Amman headquarters where he was the agency’s first Chief Ethics Officer. He was previously UNRWA’s General Counsel, Director of Operations, and (Deputy) Field Director in Gaza and S
Additional affiliations
September 2009 - November 2019
Position
- Chief Ethics Office
Description
- Principal advisor to UNRWA’s Commissioner-General in nurturing a culture of ethics, integrity and accountability, thereby enhancing the trust in, and credibility of UNRWA, both internally and externally. As the first incumbent of this position, I have been instrumental in developing UNRWA’s ethics function under guidance from the Director of the United Nations Ethics Office and in close cooperation with the Ethics Officers of the other Funds and Programmes. Specific duties include standard setti
Education
January 1991 - February 1997
September 1983 - May 1985
September 1980 - June 1983
Publications
Publications (23)
The passage of over seven decades, coupled by consistent practice of States, has triggered the emergence of a distinct international legal regime for Palestinian refugees. Unlike the majority of contemporary refugees, Palestinians ‘refugeehood’ would not end pursuant to the acquisition of other citizenship(s) or by gaining protection akin to citize...
The Palestinian refugee question, resulting from the events surrounding the birth of the State of Israel seventy years ago, remains one of the largest and most protracted refugee crises of the post-Second World War era. Numbering over six million in the Near East alone, Palestinian refugee's status varies considerably according to the state or terr...
This chapter traces the history of the Palestinian refugee question and discusses the main events that created the conditions that enabled the mass displacement of most of the Arab population of Mandate Palestine. The events that befell Palestine between 1947 and 1948, i.e. the decision of the United Nations to partition Palestine and the resultant...
This concluding chapter focuses on the quest for just and durable solutions, exploring the challenges and opportunities that have emerged through the various attempts at resolving the Palestinian refugee question. Solutions for Palestinian refugees have been sought since May of 1948. The work of the General Assembly; the UN Mediator for Palestine;...
This chapter looks at the history, status, and treatment of Palestinian refugees in the Arab world. Arab countries have generally supported Palestinians, including refugees, in the name of Arab brotherhood and solidarity, but at times also despised them, as a result of political factors and interests. In general, they have been granted varying stat...
This chapter introduces the readers to both rationale and content of the new expanded edition of Palestine Refugees in International Law. It underscores the legal and factual developments that motivated the authors to write what is in essence a new book on the foundations of the first edition. It provides an overview of its structure and key messag...
This chapter explores the legal foundations of the Palestinian refugee question, reviewing their status under various branches of international law – as refugees, stateless persons, civilians protected under international humanitarian law, internally displaced persons, or, simply, as human beings entitled to human rights. International law as it st...
This chapter focuses on a number of specific rights and entitlements of Palestinian refugees under international law, including the rights to self-determination, return, and compensation, as well as a number of civic, cultural, economic, political, and social rights, relevant because of the protracted nature of Palestinians’ exile and the main vuln...
This chapter highlights Palestinian dispersal in Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Africa. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, members of the Palestinian (refugee) ‘diaspora’ have progressively found roots in all continents. Palestinians who were abroad at the end of the British Mandate and in 1948 were not allowed to return effec...
This chapter examines the protection dimension of the distinctive regime set up for Palestinian refugees in an historical and comparative fashion. It then addresses the need for international protection of Palestinian refugees. As Palestinian refugees in need of protection have spread outside UNRWA’s area of operations, the United Nations High Comm...
This chapter examines the foundation of Palestinian refugees’ status in international law, as well as the characteristics of their distinctive institutional and normative regime compared to other refugees around the world. This distinctiveness stems from special arrangements the United Nations (UN) has made for them. This includes ad hoc UN agencie...
The Palestinian refugee question, resulting from the events surrounding the creation of the state of Israel seventy years ago, remains one of the largest and most protracted refugee crises of the post-Second World War era. Numbering over six million in the Middle East alone, Palestinian refugees’ status and treatment varies considerably according t...
The Palestinian refugee question, resulting from the events surrounding the creation of the state of Israel seventy years ago, remains one of the largest and most protracted refugee crises of the post-Second World War era. Numbering over six million in the Middle East alone, Palestinian refugees’ status and treatment varies considerably according t...
The Palestinian refugee question, resulting from the events surrounding the creation of the state of Israel seventy years ago, remains one of the largest and most protracted refugee crises of the post-Second World War era. Numbering over six million in the Middle East alone, Palestinian refugees’ status and treatment varies considerably according t...
The Palestinian refugee question, resulting from the events surrounding the creation of the state of Israel seventy years ago, remains one of the largest and most protracted refugee crises of the post-Second World War era. Numbering over six million in the Middle East alone, Palestinian refugees’ status and treatment varies considerably according t...
The Palestinian refugee question, resulting from the events surrounding the creation of the state of Israel seventy years ago, remains one of the largest and most protracted refugee crises of the post-Second World War era. Numbering over six million in the Middle East alone, Palestinian refugees’ status and treatment varies considerably according t...
The Palestinian refugee question, resulting from the events surrounding the creation of the state of Israel seventy years ago, remains one of the largest and most protracted refugee crises of the post-Second World War era. Numbering over six million in the Middle East alone, Palestinian refugees’ status and treatment varies considerably according t...
The Palestinian refugee question, resulting from the events surrounding the creation of the state of Israel seventy years ago, remains one of the largest and most protracted refugee crises of the post-Second World War era. Numbering over six million in the Middle East alone, Palestinian refugees’ status and treatment varies considerably according t...
Exploring the evolution of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), this book fills a lacuna in literature on the agency. UNRWA and Palestinian Refugees employs recent fieldwork in order to analyse challenges in programmes and service delivery, protection, camp governance, community participation,...
This volume of Refugee Survey Quarterly marks the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees1 in the Near East (UNRWA). Unlike its sister agency UNHCR, which is mandated to assist and protect refugees worldwide, UNRWA remains dedicated to supporting and protecting Palestinian refugees.2 The Agency has unde...
