Minister of Social Affairs Hanin Sayed during a press conference. (Credit: NNA)
The allocations of the Aman program from the Ministry of Social Affairs, benefiting the most vulnerable families in Lebanon, will be extended by five months starting in March, announced Social Affairs Minister Hanin Sayed on Monday during her first press conference since taking office.
This emergency social safety net program, funded by the World Bank and launched in 2022 in the wake of Lebanon's economic crisis, has enabled monthly cash transfers to the poorest families in Lebanon since 2022. In October 2024, the Ministry of Social Affairs unified this program with the National Poverty Targeting Program (NPTP) funded in 2013 by donor countries. This program allocated a fixed monthly amount of $25 per household per month, as well as $20 per member, up to a maximum of six. The new project, also called Aman, follows the same organization as the NPTP.
“The Aman program will be extended by five months starting from the end of March. This decision was made due to the difficult economic conditions that continue to weigh on thousands of Lebanese families,” said Sayed during a press conference.
Increase the number of beneficiaries
Currently, 166,000 Lebanese families benefit from this program, representing 798,187 individuals, or 45 percent of the poor in Lebanon, said the minister.
“The value of the monthly cash transfers of the program is approximately $20 million. This figure is significant, but unfortunately, it only covers the needs of half the people we need to help. I will do my best to increase the number of beneficiaries,” she stated. According to her, the ministry could temporarily increase the number of beneficiary families from 166,000 to 200,000 or even 300,000.
Sayed met a delegation from the Qatari Red Crescent in Lebanon on Monday, which expressed its willingness to support about 3,325 families benefitting from the Aman program.
No to clientelism
“Our goal is to provide aid to those who genuinely need it, far from any exploitation or political intervention,” stressed the minister. “I heard that there are ineligible people receiving aid. This situation is unacceptable, and I will address it clearly and firmly.”
“We will not compromise on this point, we will reassess files and follow up on all attempts of exploitation or fraud because this concerns public funds and is a right for those in need, and not a way to distribute clientelist services,” she added.
Affected by the war
“Social protection is not a luxury, but a right and an essential need for every citizen, especially for our compatriots from the south, the Bekaa, and the southern suburbs, who have been affected by the recent conflict,” Sayed said.
Hezbollah opened a front against Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, which escalated into open war after nearly a year of hostilities. It resulted in over 4,000 deaths in Lebanon, destroyed entire sectors of the party's strongholds, and forced more than a million people to flee, about 100,000 of whom remain displaced, according to the U.N.
Regarding the aid mechanism for residents of the south, Bekaa, and southern suburbs affected during the war, the minister said that “the process of registering families [who suffered damage] started two months ago,” specifying that “this concerns about 140,000 families.”
“The Israeli war destroyed about 100,000 residential units, increasing pressure on Lebanese families and making social protection more urgent than ever,” she added.
Sayed also highlighted that emergency financial aid from the World Food Program (WFP) would continue until the end of April and will benefit 44,000 Lebanese families affected by the war. On Monday, social affairs minister also met the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, Lisa Johnson. The latter confirmed “her country's continued support for food security in Lebanon through the WFP.”
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.