Steering Committee endorses Lebanon Response Plan 2026

The LRP 2026 calls for USD 1.62 billion to support 1.5 million people in critical need of assistance and protection services, including vulnerable Lebanese, displaced Syrians, Palestinian Refugees from Syria (PRS), Palestine Refugees in Lebanon (PRL), and migrants. The LRP also reflects the Government’s priority to facilitate safe, dignified, and sustainable returns of displaced Syrians, in line with national policies and international standards, with return-related activities consolidated in a dedicated chapter. The Plan also incorporates contingency measures to promote preparedness in the event of newly arising emergencies. 

“The LRP is about coherence and solidarity. We reaffirm that Lebanon’s response must function like an orchestra harmonizing government, UN agencies, and partners toward one common purpose: stability and recovery,” said Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Dr. Tarek Mitri. 

“Today’s meeting is an opportunity to renew our collective commitment and reaffirm our shared responsibility to support the most vulnerable and to strengthen national systems as we look toward 2026,” said Mr. Imran Riza, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator. 

"The LRP remains the central framework to reinforce national systems and municipalities, advance Lebanon’s stability, and put the country on the path to recovery.”

H.E. Minister of Social Affairs, Mrs. Haneen Sayed, added “We recognize substantial joint efforts to address the Syrian displacement crisis, including progress towards a safe, dignified, and sustainable return.” Towards implementing an efficient delivery model for cash assistance which accounted for around 40 per cent of the LRP last year, Minister Sayed added further that the government’s vision is that “by the end of 2025, all cash transfer programs for Lebanese citizens must be channeled through the national [social protection] program.”

Members of the Steering Committee in attendance included the Ministers (or their designates) for Social Affairs, Education and Higher Education, Labor, Foreign Affairs, Interior and Municipalities,  Economy and Trade, Energy and Water, Interior and Municipalities, Environment, Agriculture, and Public Health; the Ambassadors to Lebanon (or their designates) of the European Union, United States of America, Germany, United Kingdom, and Canada; as well as Representatives of UN Agencies and national and international Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) supporting the LRP’s implementation. 

All members of the Steering Committee reaffirmed their collective commitment to deliver principled, inclusive, and prioritized assistance, while reinforcing national institutions, safeguarding essential services, and advancing Lebanon’s reforms and continued transition toward nationally led systems and long-term stability.

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About the Lebanon Response Plan: The LRP is an integrated humanitarian and stabilization response plan co-led by the Government of Lebanon and the United Nations, supported by international and national partners. The LRP also serves as Lebanon’s country chapter of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) in response to the Syria crisis. 

Operational response under the LRP is led by the Ministry of Social Affairs on behalf of the Government of Lebanon, as delegated by the Prime Minister. In line with their respective mandates, UNHCR, UNDP, and OCHA co-lead the LRP and the Inter-Sector Coordination Group. Building on the 2024–2025 cycle, the LRP will continue throughout 2026, maintaining its focus on humanitarian and stabilization activities while paving the way for a smooth transition to the next Cooperation Framework to be agreed between the Government of Lebanon and the United Nations, in collaboration with other technical and financial partners.

In light of global constraints on aid, the LRP 2026 is highly prioritized to focus on the most critical and life-saving needs, while maintaining the ability of its 155 partners across nine thematic sectors to reach people holistically across all population groups; support the provision of basic services through national systems; and reinforce Lebanon’s economic, social, and environmental stability.