Attachments
Highlights
• WFP supported 657,304 Syrian refugees and 16,191 Palestinian refugees from Syria with basic food assistance. In addition to basic food assistance, 132,991 of the most severerly vulnerable Syrian refugees received a household top-up to reach their additional food and other basic needs. 52,246 vulnerable Lebanese also received basic food assistance under the Ministry of Social Affair’s National Poverty Targeting Programme.
• In 2018, WFP is targeting 695,000 severely vulnerable Syrian refugees, identified as living below the survival minimum expenditure basket (SMEB) of USD 87/capita/month, with basic food assistance.
WFP Assistance
In Lebanon, WFP is implementning the new Country Strategic Plan (CSP) 2018-2020. The CSP focuses on four strategic outcomes: providing more affordable and nutirious food to food-insecure refugees; helping vulnerable men and women improve their livelihood opportunities; enabling vulnerable populations to meet food needs throughout the year and; supporting government and other humanitarian organisations in their work. Each of these is intended to address the ongoing humanitarian and developmental challenges and support the Government of Lebanon in achieving SDG 2 and 17. The CSP is aligned with the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP 2017-2020), which has been endorsed by the Government of Lebanon, the UN Strategic Framework (2017-2020), the Ministry of Agriculture’s Strategy (2015-2019).
WFP’s primary form of assistance to Syrian refugees is provided through an electronic card (e-card) system. Starting from late 2016, WFP together with UNICEF, UNHCR and the Lebanon Cash Consortium introduced a common card, allowing a unified system for cash transfers. E-cards have the capacity to be used to purchase food from any of the approximately 500 WFPcontracted shops, located across the country or to withdraw cash from any ATM.
In 2018, WFP is targeting 695,000 severely vulnerable Syrian refugees, identified as living below the survival minimum expenditure basket (SMEB) of USD 87/capita/month, with basic food assistance. Currently, WFP is implementing three modalities of basic food assistance through the e-card system: 1) e-vouchers redeemable in any WFP-contracted shop; 2) unrestricted cash for food redeemable at either any WFP-contracted shop or ATM throughout the country; 3) multi-purpose cash to meet food and other basic needs redeemable at any ATM throughout the country.
Based on a WFP-commissioned cash pilot study, which was conducted by the Boston Consulting Group in 2016, WFP began implementing unrestricted cash transfers in September 2017 for 170,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon to meet their basic food needs.
The refugees have the choice to redeem their basic food assistance either at any WFP-contracted shop or withraw cash from any ATM throughout the country.
Additionally, in October 2017 approximately 90,000 of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees began receiving a monthly package of multi-purpose cash to meet their food and other basic needs (in January, 133,000 Syrian refugees benefited from this modality). This assistance is redeemable at any ATM throughout the country.
Moreover, WFP provides electronic food vouchers to more than 52,000 vulnerable Lebanese in partnership with the Ministry of Social Affairs through the National Poverty Targeting Programme (NPTP) and to 16,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria in partnership with UNRWA. Through the e-card system, WFP is able to directly support the Lebanese economy, and improve the local retail sector with the goal of delivering more competitive food prices for all people in Lebanon. In December 2017, WFP passed the milestone of USD 1 billion directly injected into the Lebanese economy since 2013.