Speech by UN Resident & Humanitarian Coordinator, Imran Riza, at 2026 Lebanon Response Plan Steering Committee Meeting

Your Excellency Prime Minister Mr. Nawaf Salam, represented by H.E. Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Tarek Mitri,

Your Excellency the Minister of Social Affairs, Mrs. Haneen Sayed,

Esteemed Ministers, Honourable Ambassadors, Distinguished Guests, Colleagues,

Good afternoon.

I am pleased to be here today, following our last Steering Committee meeting in July, to present the plan for the year ahead. Today’s meeting is an opportunity to renew our collective commitment to the Lebanon Response Plan, ensure that it remains fit for purpose, and reaffirm our shared responsibility to support the most vulnerable and to strengthen national systems as we look toward 2026. We are gathered with the aim of endorsing a plan that reflects national priorities and aligns our joint efforts for the coming year. 

Regional dynamics continue to evolve, with developments in Syria creating both prospects for voluntary return on the one hand and arrivals into Lebanon on the other. Meanwhile, global funding pressures remain acute. With the Lebanon Response Plan (LRP) funded at only 31% so far this year, careful prioritization has been essential to reach those who need assistance most. Compared to past years, resource levels have declined while needs have remained high, forcing increasingly sharp prioritization and difficult choices about where and how assistance can be delivered.

Against this backdrop, we reiterate our collective responsibility to provide well-targeted support to increase the protection and promote the resilience of the most vulnerable – at risk of being left behind. And to simultaneously reinforce national systems and municipalities, and advance Lebanon’s stability, as a prerequisite to put the country on the path to recovery. The LRP remains the central framework guiding these efforts. It reflects the shared priorities of the Government of Lebanon and national institutions, local authorities, donors, UN agencies, and both local and international NGOs, uniting around a common plan. It also serves as a bridge toward the Cooperation Framework and a gradual transition to greater national ownership and localization.

The plan for 2026 is based on updated population data, joint multisectoral needs analysis, and consultations with line ministries and partners. It highlights the situation of 2.99 million people in need of assistance, including vulnerable Lebanese, displaced Syrians, Palestine Refugees in Lebanon (PRL), Palestinian Refugees from Syrian (PRS), Migrants and other at-risk groups. Following prioritization and the transfer of recovery-oriented activities under the Cooperation Framework, the appeal for 2026 calls for USD 1.6 billion, to finance a highly prioritised set of interventions targeting 1.7 million people across nine sectors. This represents a significant 46% reduction in the appeal and reflects the most concentrated envelope to date, grounded in needs assessments and evidence of where results are being achieved.

Since 2011, the international community has mobilized more than USD 15.2 billion through the previous Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) and LRP to support Lebanon.  The pressure on national systems remains significant, underscoring the importance of strong government leadership. We extend our appreciation to the Ministry of Social Affairs for its central role in guiding the operational aspects of the LRP, and to all line ministries for their constructive and sustained engagement which has ensured that sector strategies and the Return Chapter are aligned with national priorities.

This past year has also witnessed significant return movements. More than 379,000 displaced Syrians have taken steps to return home—whether spontaneously or with support—reflecting personal decisions and evolving dynamics inside Syria. Together with those who returned in late 2024, this brings the number of displaced Syrians remaining in Lebanon to around one million. We reaffirm our commitment to work with the Government of Lebanon to facilitate voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return, in line with national policies and international standards, while ensuring that the LRP continues to support both those who return and those who temporarily remain. Last week, I accompanied the Director General of the General Security Directorate, together with UNHCR and IOM, to observe an organized return movement from Beirut. Supporting people to return home is among the most meaningful aspects of our work and reflects the positive collaboration between the Government of Lebanon and LRP partners to ensure that returns are conducted in a safe, dignified and principled manner.

Safeguarding access to critical and lifesaving assistance and services, including shelter, food, water, health, protection, social stability and education, for vulnerable Lebanese, displaced Syrians – those returning, remaining and post-2024 arrivals, as well as for vulnerable displaced and migrants of other nationalities is our collective priority. It focuses on coverage of key service gaps to ensure the continuity and quality needed to protect people at scale and reduce tensions in communities where there is a real risk of violence and insecurity. This also includes targeted emergency income and employment linked to restoration of essential services and businesses. Without sustained financing for these core priorities, gains of the last two years do risk being reversed. 

Furthermore, the plan incorporates contingencies to address extra needs resulting from potential new crises, within available capacities. While the USD 1.6 billion appeal covers preparedness actions, the full requirements that a severe escalation would generate would require separate and additional adaptation. However, drawing on lessons from previous response efforts, and should a large-scale escalation occur (though we sincerely hope it does not) we stand ready to work closely with the Government of Lebanon to address emerging needs and ensure an effective, principled response. This underlines the need for timely, predictable funding now, so that systems, partnerships and delivery capacity are in place before any potential shock.

Today’s Steering Committee offers an opportunity to reaffirm our joint commitment, align efforts, and establish a unified direction for the year ahead. Endorsing the LRP 2026 will help ensure coherence with national priorities, maintain predictability and contribute to stability, and provide clarity for partners and donors at a moment when coordination is essential. It will signal a shared determination to protect priority services, uphold international obligations, and avoid a further deterioration in living conditions and stability.

I look forward to the interventions of Steering Committee members and to our continued collaboration in support of Lebanon and its most vulnerable communities.

Thank you.