The United Nations and NGO partners have published the 2021-2022 Emergency Response Plan (ERP) for Lebanon to provide life-saving humanitarian support to 1.1 million of the most vulnerable Lebanese and migrants affected by the ongoing crisis.

The Plan, costed at US$378.5 million, complements UNRWA programmes and the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) to Syrian and Palestine refugees, and the communities hosting them.

Lebanon is grappling with an economic and financial meltdown, COVID-19, and the disastrous human impact of the Beirut Port explosions one year ago, as well as the impact of the Syrian crisis.

The 12-month emergency plan was developed under the leadership of the Humanitarian Coordinator and the Humanitarian Country Team in Lebanon with support of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). It is published following the International Conference for Support of the Lebanese People chaired by France and the United Nations on 4 August 2021, coinciding with the anniversary of the Beirut Port explosions that killed nearly 200 people and injured some 6,500 people.

“Lebanon is facing a serious deterioration of the humanitarian situation. During the conference, the participants have renewed their collective support to address the critical needs of the most vulnerable among the crisis-affected Lebanese and migrants through direct assistance to women, children and men who desperately need our help, while urging for lasting solutions to stop the collapse of the Country”, said Ms. Najat Rochdi, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon.

The ERP is a humanitarian, time-bound plan to save lives and assist people in need. It also aims at mitigating tensions among and between Lebanon’s various communities.

The ERP aims to link up with, and prepare for, solutions addressing the root causes of the crisis. Such a solution must come from structural reforms and Government-led development interventions, including the implementation of a comprehensive and inclusive social protection strategy.

The UN and the humanitarian community will continue to provide support to the most vulnerable in Lebanon until an inclusive social protection system is in place.