Attachments
- Nutrition Situation Analysis
The complex crisis in Lebanon has significantly impacted the nutrition of infants, young children, adolescents, and women. As Lebanon confronts a series of challenges—such as escalating hostilities, large-scale displacement and returns, an economic and financial collapse, and the ongoing repercussions of the Syria crisis and the uncertainty about the situation in Syria—nutritional deprivation has worsened. The conflict in Lebanon resulted in massive loss of human lives and internal displacement of the population. An estimated 1.2 million people were registered as internally displaced, mostly from conflict-affected areas. The internally displaced people are now returning to their areas of origin after the peace deal. The latest mobility tracking data as of December 2024 indicates that 828,978 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned to their communities. The political crisis in Syria and the fragile security situation also resulted in an influx of Syrians into Lebanon. As of December 19th, an 120,000 displaced Syrians have move to makeshift shelters and host communities in the Bekka and Baalbek-Hermel governorates.
Displacement poses severe risks to the nutritional status and health of pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as children under five, due to food insecurity, limited access to health and nutrition care, and socioeconomic challenges. Displaced Pregnant women and caregivers with children under five years of age may have limited access to sufficient, nutritious, and age specific diverse food to meet the additional nutrients needs. Children under five, especially those under two, are highly susceptible to malnutrition, which can impair growth and development. In addition, the damage of the health care structure and loss of lives of health workers in conflicted areas have disrupted the access to the health/nutrition services at the level of the primary health care centers where partner implement the essential nutrition packages of essential nutrition services for young children and women.
Lebanon is already experiencing a growing triple burden of malnutrition (stunting, micronutrient deficiencies, and obesity) among women, children, and adolescents. The results of the national Lebanon Integrated Micronutrient and Child Development survey LIMA released in 20242 showed nutritional vulnerabilities across the population cohorts.