Prime Minister Tammam Salam Wednesday met with a visiting U.N. humanitarian delegation who announced the creation of nurseries for displaced Syrian refugee children in Lebanon.
The U.N. officials who visited the premier in the Grand Serial Wednesday included Humanitarian Envoy for Kuwait Abdullah al-Maatouk, High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag and UNHCR country representative Ninette Kelley.
The meeting focused on the condition of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and the problems they are facing, Maatouk said in a statement released by Salam’s media office.
Talks also touched on the need for development projects to assist Syrians and Lebanese host communities equally, he added.
During the meeting, Maatouk presented suggestions for development projects that he hoped would be implemented soon. The envoy added that “fruitful talks” were met with promises by the Lebanese government to address some of the issues facing refugees.
The projects, which will focus on the health and education of refugees, will begin by setting up nurseries specialized for children aged one to five, Maatouk said. The implementation of the project, which will begin in the “coming days,” will offer psychological and educational services, he added.
The U.N.’s humanitarian envoy also lauded Lebanon’s “positive response” to the mass influx of Syrian refugees, saying that the Lebanese have put the world to shame because “they opened their hearts and houses to [refugees] before opening their borders.”
Guterres said that the U.N. delegation’s visit to Beirut serves to express the agency’s solidarity with Lebanon in light of the mass influx of refugees, and the ensuing strain on the country’s economy, stability and society.
The U.N. high commissioner said that it was high-time for the international community to assume its responsibility to fully finance the crisis response plan for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Global donors should also pledge donations to Lebanese host communities and Lebanese nationals.
The burden of responsibility towards Syrian refugees should not fall solely on countries neighboring Syria, he said, noting that international solidarity should also be expressed by hosting refugees.
Lebanon hosts more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas announced last month that the country needs $2.1 billion in aid over the next two years to handle the high number of refugees without increasing the budget deficit.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon announced earlier this month that $3.8 billion was pledged to refugees by international donors at the Kuwait III conference.
Reports said that only $700 million of the amount would be allocated to Lebanon over the next two years, a third of what the minister said was needed.
