On August,2020, the disastrous explosion devastated Beirut Port. Already grasped with the grave crisis, it sunk even more to social and economic crisis. The United Nations released $141 million from CERF ( Central Emergency Response Fund) and Lebanon Humanitarian fund to support emergency operations. It continues to the 11th year which remains the highest number of displaced Syrians and vulnerable population across its border. This made unprecedented turbulence in the economic, financial, social structure of Lebanon. The country hosts 1.5 million Syrians including 844,056 registered as refugees with UNHCR and 257000 Palestinian refugees.
Gross crisis in Lebanon:
- The Lebanese pound has lost more than 90% of its value.
- Poverty rates has sky-rocketed to 6.5 million, with 80% of people classed as poor, the U.N. agency ESCWA (United Nations Economic and Social Commission of West Asia).
- Lebanon's banks are paralysed. Withdrawals in local currency apply exchange rates that erase up to 80% of the value which is a question but has no answer.
- Reliant on imported fuel, Lebanon is facing an energy crunch. Fuel prices have soared. A ride in a shared taxi, a popular form of transport, cost 2,000 pounds before the crisis has now costs about 40,000 pounds.
- Lebanese have emigrated in the most significant exodus since the civil war. Believing their savings are lost, many have no plans to return. A 2021 Gallup poll found a record 63% of people surveyed wanted to leave permanently.
- The World Health Organization has said most hospitals are operating at 50%capacity. Most fleeing the country are doctors and nurses.
The Lebanon Crisis Response Plan 2022 isco-led by the Government and the UN and contributed to by a wide range of entities including local and international NGOs. The response plan takes an integrated approach to addressing the needs of both Syrian displaced, Palestine refugees from Syria and the Lebanese host communities through a combination of humanitarian and stabilization interventions, including a focus on the maintenance of service provision through public institutions at the local level.
The2022 Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) brings together 126 partner organizations to assist more than 3.2 million crisis-affected people living in Lebanon. Achievements under the LCRP and through Government include :support to Lebanese public institutions and critical infrastructure, such as water and waste management, Help initiative municipalities address livelihoods and service provision for their communities and mitigate tensions at the local level; extensive cash assistance to poor localities, support to health centres and hospitals around the country; substantial help children enroll in public schools every year and contributions to a protective environment for vulnerable people, including an annual improvement in the registration of Syrian births.
Outside of the LCRP, the government has committed to implementing the Emergency Social Safety Net program, financed by the World Bank through a loan, which has provided monthly cash assistance to approximately 60,000 of the poorest Lebanese families in US dollars for a period of one year. It is intended for this program to reach 150,000 families.
