Hundreds of thousands of people fleeing conflict in
the Middle East will receive life-saving support,
thanks to new funding announced today by the Foreign
Secretary.
In
total, £15 million from the UK will be allocated to organisations across
the Middle East and surrounding regions to address
the rapidly worsening
humanitarian situation.
Half of the funding announced will support organisations in
Lebanon, where an estimated 800,000 people have been
displaced. This includes:
-
£3.5 million for urgent humanitarian appeals
in Lebanon to deliver food, shelter, clean
water, medical assistance, and other life‑saving support
to displaced
civilians. This will be delivered by the
World Food Programme, UNICEF, and UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
-
£2 million for the Lebanese Red Cross to provide
medical care, relief items and other
life-saving assistance to keep essential emergency
services running.
-
£2 million for the International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC) to provide immediate relief,
including vital medical support, to people fleeing
violence.
The rest of the money will be mobilised to
support partners to protect those who
are most vulnerable across the wider region. It will
also help to enhance readiness for potential
large‑scale displacement and refugee flows, including:
-
£3 million for the UNHCR's Regional Refugee Response Plan
Appeal to ensure preparedness and provide
protection and assistance to people at risk
of displacement from Iran to neighbouring
countries.
-
£3 million for the International Organisation for
Migration (IOM) and UNICEF's operations in
Afghanistan to help support emergency preparedness,
including for Afghans moving back to Afghanistan as result of
the conflict in Iran, and to support the
procurement of essential nutrition supplies for vulnerable
children.
-
£1 million for the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)'s operations in
Iraq to deliver
humanitarian assistance and protection to the most
vulnerable. This includes providing medical treatment,
as well as support to hospitals, ambulance and
blood transfusion services across the country.
-
£0.5 million for UNICEF to deal with emerging
humanitarian needs across the region, including child
protection and support for women and girls.
The total package of support for humanitarian needs across the
Middle East includes the £5 million
announced by the Foreign Secretary earlier this
week.
Foreign Secretary said, in a statement to
Parliament:
This weekend I announced that the UK would provide an additional
£5 million in essential humanitarian aid [to Lebanon],
Today I can announce a further £10 million pounds of humanitarian
support to provide emergency medical care, shelter, and other
life-saving assistance in Lebanon and the region.
Background
