The Government of Japan decided to extend around 16.13 million US Dollars to Lebanon, through international organizations and NGOs, in support of the vulnerable Lebanese people and the refugees residing in the country.
Lebanon remains the host of the greatest number of refugees per capita in the world. The country and its people have played a pivotal role in providing refuge to Syrians and Palestinians over many years, which has put additional burdens on public resources and finances.
Moreover, and amid the unprecedented economic meltdown gripping Lebanon since 2019, the Covid-19 outbreak coupled with a series of lockdown measures, and the most recent tragedy that befell the country on August 4, 2020 with the Beirut Port explosion, have further crippled Lebanon’s ailing sectors and fragile infrastructure. These compounded crises have exacerbated the humanitarian hardships in the country, and heightened the struggles of the Lebanese and the refugees, by plunging thousands of them into poverty, as according to the latest World Bank figures, poverty among the Lebanese increased to 45% in 2020. Similarly, the latest UNHCR’s Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian refugees in Lebanon (VASYR 2020) also estimated that close to 90% of refugees have been pushed into extreme poverty.
As a result, and through this recent grant, Japan is aiming to mitigate Lebanon’s economic fallout, and address the country and the people’s imminent needs stemming from the aforementioned nationwide crisis. Japan therefore provides around 16.13 million US Dollars for the implementation of 15 humanitarian and developmental initiatives in Lebanon, through the FAO, ICRC, IFRC, IOM, UNDP, UNFPA, UNHABITAT, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNOPS, UNRWA, UNWOMEN, WFP, and Japan Platform (JPF). The main components of the assistance are as follows.
Protection of vulnerable people:
- a) Provision of comprehensive protection service for Syrian refugees; b) Provision of the service related to the gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive health and rights for vulnerable women and girls
Food Security:
- a) Assistance to smallholder farmers for the purchase of agricultural inputs and animal feeds; b) Assistance to the vulnerable population to meet their immediate food needs while creating communal assets to improve their long-term livelihood (Food Assistance for Asset: FFA)
Housing:
Rehabilitation of residential buildings and public facilities affected by the Beirut port explosion
Health:
- a) Support for Effective Vaccine Management in Lebanon; b) Provision of medical equipment and solar power system for hospitals; c) Provision of equipment and materials to help prevent the spread of Covid-19; d) Support for the continuation of primary health care service
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH):
Improvement of water network in Southern suburbs of Beirut (Dahieh)