The number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon continues to grow amid continuing speculations that the violence is likely to continue in Syria. The humanitarian agencies, while very active, are not able to respond in the most effective way to the crisis. Although there are many challenges impeding such an effective response, this brief commentary will shed light on the following selected ones:
Funding: Despite pledges by many donor countries, the amounts that the Government of Lebanon (GoL), UN agencies, and INGOs have received are far below what has been requested. In addition to donors’ fatigue three years after the start of the conflict, the main obstacle remains the lack of trust in the GoL institutions and the inability of the authorities to move forward with alternative solutions such as a jointly managed trust fund.
Growing resentment: The Lebanese infrastructure and economy were already suffering before the crisis. The number of Syrians in Lebanon today is estimated at 1.2 to 1.4 million, which is slightly more than 25% of Lebanon’s population. The conflict in Syria has already affected the economic activity in Lebanon, and the influx of thousands of families with depleted resources has led, as expected, to resentment among the host communities.
Scattered assistance: In addition to the “classical” lack of coordination among UN agencies and INGOs, an added challenge has appeared through the assistance that Gulf-based relief foundations decided to provide directly to refugees without prior coordination or collaboration with other actors. This has contributed to a diverse landscape where capturing “who is doing what and where” proves to be a difficult exercise.