Deputy Assistant Secretary Kelly Clements Visits Lebanon

December 1, 2011- Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugee, and Migration Affairs Kelly Clements visited Lebanon today and met with senior officials to discuss and monitor the status of Palestinian and Iraqi refugees and Syrians present in Lebanon. This is Ms. Clements' first visit to Lebanon as Deputy Assistant Secretary.

Ms. Clements had meetings with Minister of Social Affairs Wael Abou Faour, Higher Relief Council Secretary General General Ibrahim Bachir, and senior officials from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

In her meetings, Ms. Clements underscored the important responsibility of Lebanon and the international community to address the humanitarian needs and to ensure the safety of Syrians who have fled to Lebanon. She reiterated the United States' continuing commitment to Palestinian and Iraqi refugees in the region. Ms. Clements further renewed the commitment of the United States to a stable, sovereign and independent Lebanon.

As the largest bilateral donor to UNRWA, the U.S. government provided $249 million for UNRWA's regional programs this year in addition to $119 million the United States has provided over the past four years to rebuild and develop the Naher el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. Working with local partners, the United States provided this year $6.9 million in support of health care, humanitarian assistance, and employment programs for Iraqi refugees in Lebanon.