In this issue
SG Visits Lebanon P.1
Lebanese Returnees Vulnerable P.2
Refugees Lead their Response P.3
Unrest in Palestinian Camp P.4
Funding Updates P.5
Maha’s story P.6
HIGHLIGHTS
• UNSG Ban visits Lebanon; World Bank promises USD$100 million to support education during visit.
• HC/RC Lazzarini launches $8 million call for proposals to support vulnerable Lebanese communities.
• Syrians lead response in 450 informal settlements in Lebanon.
• Nearly 30,000 Lebanese returnees from Syria are highly vulnerable.
• Unrest prompts the first full shutdown of services in Palestinian camps in 2016.
• Syrian students allowed to sit school exams.
• $580 million received to support Lebanon following London Conference.
SG mobilizes support for vulnerable communities
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Lebanon from 24-26 March accompanied by the Presidents of both the World Bank, Dr. Jim Yong Kim, and the Islamic Development Bank, Dr. Ahmad Al-Madan. The purpose of the 2-day visit was to reiterate international support for Lebanon, which is currently hosting one of the largest proportions of refugees in the world as a result of the 5-year conflict in neighboring Syria.
During his visit, the SG commended the efforts of the Government of Lebanon and the international community to both uphold humanitarian principles by supporting conflict-affected Syrians and Palestinian refugees as well as vulnerable Lebanese, whilst continuing to provide public services to the country at large. The SG indicated that his objective for the visit was “to find ways to improve conditions for refugees, to support the communities hosting them, and to help mitigate the impact on Lebanon’s economy”.
During his 2-day stay, the SG visited the Nahr El-Bared Palestine refugee camp, an informal refugee settlement for Syrians in the Bekaa, Qobbeh Social Development Centre in Tripoli and Hay el Tanak urban settlement in the North which hosts a majority of poor Lebanese. The SG expressed concern over how communities were coping with crisis, indicating that “increasing numbers of Syrian and Palestinian refugees are living in dire poverty and resorting to child labour and other desperate measures. We are equally concerned by the vulnerability of Lebanese host communities, especially in the most impoverished areas.”
The World Bank Announces US$100 million in support
In a sign of support during the visit, the World Bank announced that it would provide $100 million, to assist the Government’s efforts to enroll all children aged 3-18 into quality education through the second Reaching All Children with Education (RACE II) plan.
Recommitting to the Agenda for Humanity
The SG used the visit to Lebanon to reiterate his Agenda for Humanity, which calls upon global leaders to stand up for humanity and reduce humanitarian suffering. The Agenda draws on five core responsibilities, including a fundamental shift in aid delivery by reinforcing national systems, anticipating crises, and bridging the humanitarian-development divide.
Run-Up to the World Humanitarian Summit
The SG’s visit to Lebanon was part of a series of humanitarian missions by the SG ahead of the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit, which will take place on 23-24 May in Istanbul. The Summit will chart a course for change towards improving the global community’s assistance to the estimated 125 million people affected by conflicts and disasters worldwide. The Summit aims to generate the political will necessary for a more effective and efficient response to human suffering.