Situation of refugees in Lebanon remains precarious: UN

Three UN agencies released Friday a report on the overall situation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, revealing that after almost six years of assistance, the situation of those refugees has not further deteriorated, yet remains precarious.

The Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees (VASyR) was jointly produced by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Program (WFP).

According to the report over one third of refugees are moderately to severely food insecure, an increase of twelve percent compared to 2015.

Families have exhausted their limited resources, and are having to adapt to survive on the bare minimum. Refugees continue to rely on harmful coping mechanisms to get by.

"The findings of this assessment underscore the plight of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and the importance of humanitarian aid, without which the situation of refugees would immediately crumble," said Mireille Girard, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon.

She added "nearly three-quarters of the refugees live below the poverty line, and almost half live in substandard shelters. They are in continuous need of support, especially during winter, when their vulnerabilities are exacerbated by the difficult weather conditions."

According to the United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees, Lebanon hosts more than 1.1 million Syrians who fled their war-torn country since the rebellion against the regime of President Bashar Assad. Endit