Response Plans and Appeals

On 4 August 2021, under the leadership of the Humanitarian Coordinator, the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) launched the Emergency Response Plan (ERP) for Lebanon. Strictly humanitarian in nature, the 12-month multi-sector emergency response plan aimed to address the needs of the most vulnerable among the Lebanese, migrants, and Palestine refugees in Lebanon (PRL) affected by the multiple crisis, and to complement the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) – the framework to address the impact of the Syria crisis in Lebanon which mainly targets Syrian Refugees and host communities. The ERP sought to provide exceptional time-bound assistance to protect and save lives and alleviate suffering of the target population, while scaling up urgent aid for the most vulnerable.

Eight months after the launch of the ERP, the financial and socio-economic crisis, compounded by the lack of reforms, the political impasse, the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of the Ukrainian crisis, has further deteriorated leading to a sharp increase in humanitarian needs. Primary and secondary data collection and joint analysis undertaken at sectoral and multi-sectoral levels by the Emergency Operations Cell (EOC) and the HCT released in April clearly shows a further decline in living conditions with many more unable to access basic services.

As of end of April 2022, thanks to the donors’ generosity, humanitarian actors managed to reach 600,000 people (Lebanese, migrants and PRL) with multisectoral assistance under the ERP. However, sectoral assessments and the multisectoral needs assessment (MSNA) conducted in late 2021 found that humanitarian assistance was necessary for many of the most vulnerable families, but it remained largely insufficient. Around 85 per cent of Lebanese households, 66 per cent of PRL households and 95 per cent of migrant households reported that they did not receive any assistance during the three months preceding the assessment. Additionally, vulnerable groups cited information about humanitarian assistance, health care and livelihoods as their top priority information needs.

Informed by the latest evidence, the HCT has requested a revision and extension of the ERP until December 2022 to continue adjusting and scaling up urgent and much-needed lifesaving response in areas under severity 3, 4 and 5. To do so, the humanitarian community is requesting an additional US$ 163 million until the end of December 2022.

This ERP revision outlines, on one hand, the progress made to date against activities from the ERP as reported by humanitarian partners; and on the other hand, the change in humanitarian needs and targets, together with the revised sectoral response plans and corresponding financial requirements estimated by sectors.

Under the leadership of the Humanitarian Coordinator, the Humanitarian Country team, supported by the Emergency Operation Cell and humanitarian sectors, will reinforce its commitment towards nine priorities, building upon the important progress made thus far, existing gaps and needs identified in line with global guidance and standards.

In view of the continued deterioration of the situation in the country, the UN and NGOs, under the leadership of the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) and the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), have developed a 12-months Emergency Response Plan (ERP) that articulates collective priority responses to the critical humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable Lebanese and migrants affected by the situation – in complement to the support already provided through UNRWA programs and the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) to Syrian and Palestine refugees as well as host communities.

The ERP was published in the margins of the International Conference for Support of the Lebanese People chaired by France and the United Nations on 4 August 2021. The Emergency Response Plan seeks to mobilize US$378 million to provide life-saving support to 1.1 million most vulnerable individuals, under Food Security, Health, Nutrition, WASH, Education, Child Protection and Gender-Based Violence Sectors. 

The ERP is strictly of humanitarian nature and an exceptional time-bound assistance to save lives and alleviate suffering of the target population, also aiming at avoiding a worsening of inter and intra community tensions.

The Beirut Port explosions on 4 August created significant immediate humanitarian needs and severe long-term consequences.

Building on existing humanitarian response efforts, a comprehensive, effective response to this emergency requires three phases of activity. Such a plan should quickly transition from immediate humanitarian relief into recovery, reconstruction and eventually longer term economic recovery.

This humanitarian Flash Appeal focuses on the first phase and the early parts of the second phases of the response, and the activities covered will save lives, protect the most vulnerable and set the stage for subsequent longer term reconstruction and economic recovery, which constitutes a third phase