UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi (second right) and Lebanese Environment Minister Nasser Yassin (right) meet a displaced Lebanese family sheltering in a Beirut school. © UNHCR/Ximena Borrazas
BEIRUT – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, called on Sunday for greater international support to stem the humanitarian catastrophe engulfing Lebanon.
Two weeks of deadly Israeli airstrikes have killed hundreds and forced over a million people to flee their homes. Grandi was visiting Beirut to express his solidarity with Lebanon and to mobilize more support for all those affected, both Lebanese and refugees.
The conflict ravaging the country is disrupting urgently required supply shipments. Supply routes within and into Lebanon must be preserved, so the flow of relief items continues to reach those in need.
During his visit, Grandi met with the Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, and other senior officials, the UN and humanitarian community, UNHCR staff, and displaced families.
“I’ve witnessed today the tragic toll this war is taking on entire communities,” said Grandi. “International humanitarian law must be respected and cannot be ignored. Families have been left homeless, stranded in the open air with traumatized children unable to understand what’s happening. They all told me how desperate they are to feel safe, and for the airstrikes to stop so they can return to their towns and villages.
It is an urgent moral imperative to help the people affected by this recent escalation. They should not pay the price for the abysmal failure to find political solutions and end this vicious cycle of violence. Now, in this hour of overwhelming need, the world must come to Lebanon’s aid.”
With large numbers of people displaced within the country in just two weeks, government-run shelters are overwhelmed and UNHCR is working with humanitarian partners and the authorities to urgently find safe shelter for all those without.
The UN Refugee Agency is also providing people with essential relief items, cash assistance, shelter assistance, medical care and other support. But the international community must significantly increase funding in order for humanitarians to respond adequately.
UNHCR has launched an appeal for $111 million to assist 1 million displaced people in Lebanon through the end of 2024, as part of a wider UN appeal for $425.7 million.
Grandi’s visit to Lebanon included meeting displaced Syrian refugees in Beirut’s Nabaa neighbourhood.
“I deeply appreciate Lebanon’s generosity in hosting so many refugees over the years – including those forced to flee Syria – despite the considerable challenges the country has faced. These refugees are now forced to flee again with scant resources and nowhere safe to go.”
Following his visit to Lebanon, High Commissioner Grandi will be travelling to Syria where he will meet with the authorities and with both Lebanese and Syrians who have fled across the border.
ENDS
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For more information, please contact:
- In Beirut: Lisa Abou Khaled: aboukhal@unhcr.org, +961 71 880 070
- In Amman: Rula Amin, aminr@unhcr.org, +962 (0) 790 045 849
- In Geneva, Shabia Mantoo, mantoo@unhcr.org, +41 79 337 76 50
- In Geneva: Olga Sarrado, sarrado@unhcr.org, +41 79 740 23 07
Originally published by UNHCR on 6 October 2024.
