Some backers of the 'Forum' would like to see it produce a development strategy, both for NGO work and for the community, but it isn't certain that the 'Forum' has this ambition or capacity. It is also the first unifying force since Oslo. The first necessity is to take an accurate measure of Lebanese constraints so as to chart a space for development. This is not easy given the restricted nature of Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue and the absence of clear government policy. These vetoes stem from the belief that visible refugee misery is the only way to remind the world that Lebanon bears this burden.
Poverty is also a form of pressure on the refugees to emigrate.
The issue of civic rights might be more amenable to international campaigning, given the slur it casts on Lebanon's image. If this analysis is correct, it leaves a margin of space for community development. Insecure though their situation is, Palestinian NGOs have not been prevented from working in the camps, nor from holding seminars and exhibitions, meeting foreign delegations, making films, doing research. In the opinion of one community activist, the local NGOs could do much more with their resources, but the exaggerated idea they have of government impediments stops them from trying to develop. For example, no one stops them from building stronger alliances with Lebanese NGOs.