ILO, UNICEF and partners take immediate shock-response measures to support persons with disabilities in Lebanon

The measures, taken by the Ministry of Social Affairs, ILO and UNICEF, under the National Disability Allowance program currently supported by the EU and the Netherlands, provide emergency cash assistance to persons with disabilities impacted by the ongoing conflict in Lebanon.

The initiative provided urgent support through the NDA programme to address the humanitarian needs arising from the ongoing conflict in the country which has affected tens of thousands of persons with disabilities. In addition to advancing the disbursement of regular monthly payments to all NDA beneficiaries, a $100 emergency one-off payment was provided as a top-up to each of the 5,000 existing beneficiaries from the impacted areas in Lebanon. 

Many more persons with disabilities across the country have been impacted by the crisis and are in need of urgent support. The ILO estimates that at least 30 thousand persons with disabilities have been impacted by the ongoing conflict thus far.

“The ILO is committed to providing assistance to enable continued service delivery for persons with disabilities in Lebanon, and to supporting the Ministry of Social Affairs in identifying and assessing needs,” said ILO Regional Director for Arab States Ruba Jaradat during a press conference held with the Minister of Social Affairs Hector Hajjar and UNICEF Representative in Lebanon Edouard Beigbeder to announce the initiative.

“With its partners, the ILO aims to expand emergency assistance to all persons with disabilities who have been severely affected, and commits to providing support to those who are not currently enrolled in the NDA. This will include identification of affected and displaced persons with disabilities through the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Disaster Risk Management Unit at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers,” Jaradat added.  

The emergency horizontal expansion to persons with disabilities from other age groups and across all nationalities will be conducted gradually as resources become available. The full response will be subject to securing resources totalling $6M US dollars that are not yet fully available. Efforts are ongoing to secure the remaining funds from international development partners.

The initiative is the first emergency response measure the ILO has launched as part of its Emergency Response Plan to mitigate the impact of the crisis in Lebanon on residents. The Plan will see the ILO working to advance social protection and create decent and economically sustainable work opportunities in collaboration with national authorities and other partners, including other UN agencies. The focus of the ILO’s response is on complementing humanitarian relief work and preparing the ground for sustainable recovery.