UNHCR Lebanon welcomes vital US financial support

BEIRUT, Lebanon 09 October (UNHCR) – The UN Refugee Agency has expressed gratitude to the government and people of the United States after receiving a total of over $136 million dollars in funding in 2017 – helping UNHCR to fill critical financial gaps and avoid cuts in much-needed services to Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

The funding is the highest received by UNHCR in Lebanon from the US since the beginning of the crisis in Syria.

The latest tranche of funding received – $73.5 million – comes at a critical time, with UNHCR’s operations in Lebanon only 56% funded for 2017 – leaving a $205 million shortfall.

Generous and flexible funding from the US will help UNHCR continue to support life-saving and emergency health care, as well as to provide cash assistance and other basic services to Syrian refugees who continue to have substantial humanitarian needs.

“The latest generous contribution of funds from the United States comes at a critical moment when there is growing anxiety among refugee communities in Lebanon, who are facing a great deal of uncertainty,” said Mireille Girard, UNHCR’s Representative in Lebanon.

“It is yet another show of solidarity from the people of the US – that in their hour of need, they stand with the people of Lebanon in helping to deal with the effects of the Syrian tragedy – and with refugees who continue to need protection and assistance.  It will make an enormous difference,” Girard said.

The US Government funds UNHCR through the United States Bureau for Population and Migration (BPRM) and is UNHCR’s largest single government donor.

In recent years, annual contributions from the US to UNHCR have exceeded USD 1 billion globally.  Additionally, the US is the largest single donor to UNHCR’s Lebanon operation and has consistently been the largest donor to the Agency’s humanitarian efforts in the region.

Media contacts:

Scott Craig, Spokesperson: craigs@unhcr.org

Lisa Abou Khaled, Spokesperson: aboukhal@unhcr.org