Attachments
SITUATION OVERVIEW
Lebanon has been facing an evolving complex humanitarian crisis since late 2019, generating widespread needs for assistance and protection. It is in this context that two powerful explosions occurred at the Port of Beirut on 4 August 2020, leaving devastating impacts while the country grapples with overlapping economic and financial crises, political volatility, and the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as hosting the highest refugee population per capita in the world.
The combined effects of these crises are leaving growing numbers of people in urgent need of support and deepening risks for vulnerable groups including migrants and refugees. UNESCWA estimates that 1.65 million people are living in extreme multidimensional poverty in Lebanon in 2021. This statistic relates to all nationalities living in residential settings. In addition, approximately 290,000 registered Syrian refugees and 210,000 registered Palestinian refugees living in non-residential settings are considered very likely to be impacted by extreme multidimensional poverty based on available vulnerability data from UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, and UNRWA. As of 2021, over 80% of people in Lebanon are classified as living in multidimensional poverty, which reflects deprivation across areas such as healthcare, electricity, water, sanitation, transportation, connectivity, and means of income. On top of this, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose risks and strain Lebanon’s overburdened healthcare system.
TARGETING
This operation targets the needs of populations country-wide affected by the complex humanitarian crisis in Lebanon and supports the delivery and long-term sustainability of the Lebanese Red Cross (LRC) services. LRC is a key provider of pre-hospital and emergency medical services throughout the territory, including Blood Transfusion Services, complementing its leadership in the Disaster Management and Disaster Risk Reduction sectors, and its perception as the most trusted organization in the country. As part of this holistic approach to needs in Lebanon, this Emergency Appeal will also support the response of Palestine Red Crescent Society – Lebanon Branch (PRCS-L) with a focus on health and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). This intervention is based on the unique role of PRCS-L in reaching vulnerable Palestinians, and other vulnerable populations, through its medical/hospital services.
A vulnerability matrix will be developed to assess needs and prioritization among the targeted population. The criteria used within that matrix will be created and communicated with target population representatives through clear channels of communication to establish a framework for accountability.