Thursday, July 27, 2017

U.S. Humanitarian Assistance in Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis in Lebanon

By  | 25 July, 2017

The U.S. Department of State released the following fact sheet.

Today, the United States announced that it is providing more than $140 million in additional humanitarian assistance in Lebanon to address the urgent needs of refugees from Syria and those of Lebanese host communities. This announcement was made during the Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri's visit to Washington, DC.

The newly announced funding brings U.S. humanitarian assistance to Lebanon to more than $1.5 billion since the start of the Syria crisis in 2012. It reflects the steadfast U.S. commitment to helping address the unprecedented magnitude of suffering and urgent humanitarian need in Lebanon. Lebanon hosts more than 1.5 one million registered refugees, representing nearly a quarter of its population, a sign of the great hospitality and generosity of the Lebanese people.

Through this support, the United States will provide food assistance, shelter for the most vulnerable families, emergency and hospital care, humanitarian protection, and child immunization and nutrition to the more than one million refugees and Lebanese host populations that are in need. The United States will also support infrastructure projects that improve access for Lebanese and refugees to safe drinking water and wastewater services.

This assistance supports the critical humanitarian needs addressed in the 2017 Lebanon Crisis Response Plan's appeal of $2.8 billion. The new funding supports the operations of UN humanitarian agencies in Lebanon. We encourage other donors to join us in providing additional humanitarian assistance for those affected by the crisis in Syria, including fulfilling not yet funded previously made pledges.