UN Humanitarian Coordinator Speech at Launch of Lebanon's 2026 Lebanon Flash Appeal

[Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, partners, and friends,]

As the UN Secretary-General has stressed, the humanitarian impact of the current escalation is devastating. 

Communities across affected governorates are enduring repeated displacement, the loss of livelihoods, and the disruption of essential services. Violence has struck schools, healthcare facilities, and homes, deepening the suffering of already vulnerable people. 

By our joint estimates, some 1.3 million people have been affected. Of these, up to 1 million have been displaced within Lebanon, and nearly 100,000 have crossed into Syria. These figures underscore both the scale of the crisis and its regional dimension.

As Minister el-Sayyed has outlined on behalf of the Government, national institutions are leading the emergency response. Our role, as humanitarian partners, is to stand firmly beside them — to complement their leadership with the resources, expertise, and solidarity of the international community.

The Flash Appeal we launch today sets out the funding requirements and operational priorities needed to address the most urgent humanitarian needs of one million people over the next three months. 

On behalf of the Humanitarian Country Team and humanitarian partners – UN, international and national NGOs, we are asking for $308.3 million in financing to deliver life‑saving and life‑sustaining assistance.

Without this support, we cannot scale up to meet the growing needs.

Our collective response focuses on three strategic priorities. 

First, providing timely, life‑saving, multi‑sectoral assistance to those affected by hostilities, particularly displaced families in shelters, host communities, and conflict‑affected areas. 

Second, promoting the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, grounded firmly in international humanitarian and human rights law. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must never be targets. 

Third, supporting the rapid delivery and resumption of essential services in areas impacted by the escalation, ensuring that basic systems continue to function despite the crisis. 

Throughout, we will emphasize inclusivity, ensuring host communities are supported alongside displaced families and those who remain in hard to reach areas, to meet the needs of the most vulnerable and mitigate tensions.

For this response to succeed, humanitarian actors must have safe, predictable, and unimpeded access to people in need. Access is not a privilege; it is a necessity. Without it, assistance cannot reach displaced populations and affected people cannot seek help, especially those in hard‑to‑reach areas where needs are most acute.

Local organizations and national partners are central to this effort. They are the first responders, the trusted actors within communities, and the key to ensuring accountability to affected people. Strengthening localization is therefore a cornerstone of our collective response, enabling rapid assistance where it is needed most.

Ladies and gentlemen, 

The key figures are in the summaries available in hard copy in front of you, and the full Flash Appeal can be accessed by following the indicated link or QR code.

This Flash Appeal is launched in an already constrained funding environment. Humanitarian partners are responding with reduced financial and human resources. Initial emergency allocations from the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund and the Central Emergency Response Fund are helping to kick‑start the response, but significantly more funding is urgently required. Without it, we cannot scale up to meet the growing needs.

I urge the international community to respond generously and swiftly. 

Together, we can save lives, protect civilians, and help Lebanon’s communities endure this crisis with resilience and dignity.

Thank you.