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International support to Lebanon not enough: UN

Xinhua, February 21, 2017 Adjust font size:

The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Philippe Lazzarini stressed Monday that the generous international funding support for Lebanon has not been enough to turn the tide of refugees' deepening poverty and vulnerabilities affecting both Lebanese host communities and refugees.

The International funding for Lebanon in 2016 amounted to USD 1.9 billion, according to the a statement showing the funding update released by the Office of the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon.

This amount includes a total of USD 1.57 billion disbursed by donors in 2016 and USD 344 million carried over from 2015 by UN Agencies, the World Bank and NGOs, the statement added.

The consolidated data shows a continued high-level of donor support to Lebanon in 2016 in response to the impact of the Syrian crisis. Moreover, donors have also reported an additional amount of over USD 1.3 billion committed for 2017 and beyond for Lebanon.

Regarding available resource in support of the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan, UN agencies and NGOs reported a total of USD 1.13 billion received under the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) framework in 2016. This represents 53 percent of the overall 2016 appeal, taking into consideration the carry-over of USD 186 million related to the LCRP.

"Needs are outpacing donor funding. And with competing humanitarian crises globally and limited resources, we might face a situation where humanitarian support has reached its ceiling. The more protracted the crisis in Lebanon becomes, the more innovative and efficient the support has to be in order to genuinely make a difference," Lazzarini added.

The UN official also encouraged international partners to focus beyond the short-term emergency response in the country.

"We need to get better at combining life-saving assistance and longer-term responses that address the country's security and socio-economic challenges," Lazzarini said.

"We have to support Lebanon in reversing its economic decline by investing in key productive sectors, modernizing the country's infrastructure, and encouraging key structural reforms. This would benefit both the Syrian refugees and the Lebanese," Lazzarini concluded. Endit