Lebanon

Working environment

Refugees and host communities share the same public services and infrastructure, with services for education, health, water and energy being particularly affected by the increased demand. These challenges are acutely felt in the 251 locations, hosting 87 per cent of refugees, which were already impoverished before the crisis. While the socio-economic situation of refugees in Lebanon has not deteriorated as dramatically in 2016, people of concern to UNHCR still have trouble accessing livelihoods, rendering them extremely vulnerable to external shocks. Preliminary results of the 2016 socio-economic survey of Syrian refugees show that some 70 per cent of the 248,000 Syrian refugee households in Lebanon live below the poverty line. Falling deeper into debt exposes people to a greater risk of exploitation. 

Furthermore, most Syrian refugees born in Lebanon since the beginning of the conflict do not possess an official birth certificate. They have also face difficulties in accessing territory and obtaining residency permits. Registration of Syrian refugees remains suspended since May 2015. At present, resettlement remains the only durable solution available.

Key priorities

UNHCR will continue to respond to basic and life-saving needs, including during winter, as well as support public institutions providing services to refugees and host communities alike. UNHCR will also continue to support the Government to fulfill its commitments to ease regulatory frameworks governing refugees’ residency and access to livelihood opportunities. Together with its partners, UNHCR will work with both refugees and host communities to empower them to address their protection challenges, while pursuing resettlement and other forms of humanitarian admission. 

In the event of funding shortfalls, UNHCR will only be able to provide cash assistance for six months for 30,000 households, and approximately 5,000 life-saving hospitalizations per month cannot be covered.