Syrian refugees are leaving Lebanese territory clandestinely at the Masnaa border crossing with Syria on Dec. 8, 2024, a few hours after the fall of the Assad regime. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L’Orient-Le Jour)
The freeze on foreign financial aid by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, which took effect when he was sworn into office on Jan. 20, forced the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) into "unprecedented budget cuts" in Lebanon, a reduction in the number of beneficiaries of certain programs, closure of others, and a decrease in the number of staff of the U.N. agency. U.S. aid to the UNHCR, which accounts for 40 percent of its global funding and in Lebanon, is provided by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM)."Funding shortfalls in Lebanon have already heavily impacted the support provided to refugees and will also reduce UNHCR’s presence and capacity in the country," Lisa Abou Khaled, UNHCR spokesperson in Lebanon, told L’Orient-Le Jour. She...
The freeze on foreign financial aid by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, which took effect when he was sworn into office on Jan. 20, forced the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) into "unprecedented budget cuts" in Lebanon, a reduction in the number of beneficiaries of certain programs, closure of others, and a decrease in the number of staff of the U.N. agency. U.S. aid to the UNHCR, which accounts for 40 percent of its global funding and in Lebanon, is provided by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM)."Funding shortfalls in Lebanon have already heavily impacted the support provided to refugees and will also reduce UNHCR’s presence and capacity in the country," Lisa Abou Khaled, UNHCR spokesperson in Lebanon, told L’Orient-Le Jour....