- the Foreign Secretary continues to work with his counterparts to reduce tensions in the Middle East
- comes as the UK government has chartered more flights to help British nationals leave Lebanon
The UK is boosting its humanitarian support for Lebanon with a further £10 million to respond to the mass displacement of people, as well as the growing number of civilian casualties.
The funding comes as the UK continues to urge all British nationals to leave the country as soon as possible, and for an immediate ceasefire between Lebanese Hizballah and Israel. A ceasefire would provide the space necessary to find a political solution in line with Resolution 1701 and enable civilians on both sides to return to their homes.
The aid package responds to serious concerns over a widespread lack of shelter, and reduced access to clean water, hygiene and healthcare. It will be delivered through trusted humanitarian organisations, who have a long-established presence delivering aid within Lebanon.
The announcement follows the £5 million humanitarian package delivered through UNICEF to support access to clean water and sanitation, health, and nutrition supplies.
The UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which the UK is the largest donor to, this week also allocated £7.6 million to respond to the urgent conflict-related needs and displacement in Lebanon.
Anneliese Dodds, Minister of State for Development and Minister of State for Women and Equalities, said:
The human cost of the conflict in Lebanon is clear for all to see. This additional funding from the UK will help to address the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation, providing relief for people displaced by the continuing violence.
This lifesaving aid is vital, but not a long-term solution. The only way to truly address the growing humanitarian crisis is an immediate ceasefire adhered to by both sides.
We continue to urge British nationals in Lebanon to leave immediately.
The government yesterday (3 October) announced that it is also chartering more flights to help British nationals leave Lebanon. More than 150 British nationals and dependants left Beirut on a government-chartered flight on Wednesday (2 October).
British nationals and their spouse or partner, and children under the age of 18 are eligible. All passengers must hold a valid travel document. Dependants who are not British nationals will require a valid visa that has been granted for a period of stay in the UK of more than 6 months.
The UK continues to work with partners to increase capacity on commercial flights for British nationals. Around 700 troops and Foreign Office and Home Office staff, including Border Force officers, have been deployed to Cyprus for contingency planning.
Defence Secretary John Healey travelled to Cyprus yesterday to meet and thank deployed military personnel.
Background
- today’s funding announcement comes from pre-existing Official Development Assistance budgets and is already accounted for
- the UK is committed to supporting the most vulnerable in Lebanon, including refugees and Lebanese communities, with timely, flexible assistance to address basic needs and reduce suffering
- the UK’s bilateral humanitarian support to Lebanon this financial year through the Lebanon Humanitarian Programme – including this £10 million – is focused on:
- supporting the most vulnerable refugee and Lebanese communities to meet their basic needs
- providing essential education and child protection services to over 5,000 of the most vulnerable and marginalised out of school children
- supporting the Government of Lebanon to develop more inclusive, sustainable, and accountable social protection systems
- through the Lebanon Humanitarian Programme, the UK is one of the largest donors to UN OCHA’s Lebanon Humanitarian Fund which has allocated $14.7 million to a range of non-governmental organisations for preparedness and response to displacement
- in addition to the $10 million announced this week, earlier this year a CERF allocation of $9 million was released to support UN partners response to the rising needs in Southern Lebanon
- $2.2 million Education Cannot Wait (ECW) funding has been released to support 5,000 children affected by the crisis. The UK is the second largest donor to ECW
