Beirut
12 February 2018
International funding for Lebanon in 2017 amounted to USD 1.68 billion, as shown by the funding update released by the Office of the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon.
This amount includes a total of USD 1.37 billion disbursed by donors in 2017 and USD 309.6 million carried over from 2016 by implementing partners.
UN agencies and NGOs reported a total of USD 1.24 billion received under the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) framework in 2017. This represents 45% of the overall 2017 appeal.
The consolidated data shows a continued high-level donor support to Lebanon in 2017 in response to the impact of the Syrian crisis. Moreover, donors have also reported an additional amount of around USD 650 million committed for 2018 and beyond for Lebanon.
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, Philippe Lazzarini, commended the strong solidarity with Lebanon. The generous support enabled partners to provide access to safe water to more than 1.3 million individuals, support more than 870,000 people to buy food in local shops and markets, and enroll more than 400,000 children in public schools. At the same time Mr. Lazzarini reiterated that the support has not been enough to turn the tide of refugees’ deepening poverty and vulnerabilities affecting both Lebanese host communities and refugees. “The situation is gradually eroding, and humanitarian and development needs are growing: 76% of Syrian refugee households live below the poverty line and more than 50% of Syrian households live in extreme poverty. And we should not forget that 1.5 million Lebanese live below the poverty line,” Mr. Lazzarini said.
Mr. Lazzarini also stressed the importance for partners to not only maintain their support for Lebanon, but to also increase the predictability of their support, calling for support beyond the short-term emergency response in the country: “We have reached a point in the crisis where humanitarian assistance alone is no longer enough to turn the tide. It must be linked with development and peacebuilding efforts. This kind of approach requires multi-year funding and commitments by partners and donors in line with the commitments made at the previous London and Brussels conferences.”