UK funds UNDP’s Host Communities Programme
DFID funding will address the need for increased delivery of basic services in areas most affected by Syrian refugee influx
Refugees at Bar Elias healthcare centre
British Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher visited Bar Elias in the Bekaa region where he announced a new commitment of £5 million of UK funding to UNDP’s Host Communities Programme. The programme will address the need for increased delivery of basic services in the areas most affected by the Syrian refugee influx.
Ambassador Fletcher met with the mayor of Bar Elias Saad Mita and visited a healthcare centre where he saw first-hand the work of the municipality and the situation of Syrian refugees and host community residents. UK funding will provide the needed support to Bar Elias municipality and rehabilitation and equipment to the healthcare centre. The UK response to Lebanon’s humanitarian crisis has reached £129 million and has helped thousands of Syrian refugees and host communities through international NGOs operating throughout the country.
In his statement before the media, Fletcher said: “As Lebanon approaches the milestone of hosting 1 million refugees we would like to reiterate the UK’s continued support in response to the influx of Syrian refugees into the country. I’d like to pay tribute to Lebanese communities that are bearing the greatest burdens and have responded to the Syrian refugee crisis with great generosity. Lebanon will not be left alone to face this humanitarian crisis. We continue to encourage all partners to respond generously. ”
Ross Mountain, UNDP Resident Representative, UN Humanitarian Coordinator and UN Resident Coordinator, thanked the UK Ambassador for the generous contribution and added: “Since the beginning of the crisis, UNDP has highlighted the remarkable solidarity of the Lebanese people and stressed the importance of providing support to the Lebanese hosting communities, especially in the most vulnerable areas. UNDP will work closely with the municipalities in the implementation of the interventions funded by the UK, ensuring that the most pressing needs are addressed and guaranteeing the transparency and effectiveness of the activities”.
Notes to editors
This programme will improve services at a local government level, directly benefitting local communities. It will be funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) and is additional to the humanitarian commitments already made for the Syria crisis. It will deliver improved municipal and basic services in the most affected municipalities (e.g.: medical equipment and supplies for healthcare centres, water purification equipment, water tankers, garbage containers, rehabilitation and maintenance of public wells and more).
For more information about the UK’s humanitarian aid to Syria.