Amidst a backdrop of multifaceted crises, Lebanon is buckling under one of the most severe humanitarian emergencies globally, with approximately 4 million individuals direly needing food and additional assistance. However, under half of this number is currently receiving aid, largely owing to funding shortages, emphasized United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, Imran Riza.
The nation has been navigating through a “compound set of multi-crises,” which the World Bank labels as one of the top ten worst economic and financial crises since the mid-19th century. Over the past four years, these calamities have drastically augmented humanitarian needs across all demographic sectors in Lebanon. The economic collapse, which initiated in October 2019, saw the nation’s political class – often blamed for decades of corruption and mismanagement – resisting economic and financial reforms sought by the international community.
In an attempt to secure a rescue plan, Lebanon entered discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2020. Yet, even after reaching a preliminary agreement last year, the nation’s leaders have been hesitant to enact the necessary alterations.
Rida pointed out that Lebanon has been without a head of state for roughly a year and many of its institutions are non-operational. Furthermore, no political solution has emerged in Syria to date. UN estimates indicate that around 3.9 million people in Lebanon require humanitarian assistance, including 2.1 million Lebanese, 1.5 million Syrians, 180,000 Palestinian refugees, over 31,000 Palestinians from Syria, and 81,500 migrants.
Last year, the UN provided assistance to about 1 million Syrians and slightly less than 950,000 Lebanese. “Everything is moving in a negative direction,” Rida observed. In 2022, the United Nations received about 40% of the required funding, and the trend seems similar this year. “However, in general, resources are indeed diminishing, and needs are increasing,” Rida added.
The precarious situation in Lebanon isn’t garnering the attention seen in other scenarios, causing deep concern. After over twelve years since the outbreak of conflict in Syria, Lebanon hosts “the largest number of displaced per capita and per square kilometer in the world,” according to the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs.
“We see a more tense situation inside Lebanon,” Rida said, noting that some of Lebanon’s politicians have labeled Syrian refugees as a “existential threat.” Rida articulated his engagement with journalists to secure facts regarding overall needs in Lebanon and what the UN is trying to do to assist everyone based on need “not on status or [population] slice.”
This translated article seeks to portray the urgent and escalating humanitarian needs in Lebanon, underlining the critical situation and intricate socio-political dynamics at play, while maintaining SEO and readability in focus.
