UNHCR cash aid to
refugees cut by one third

190,000 families will continue to receive assistance

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) plans to reduce cash assistance to Syrian refugee families in Lebanon by approximately one-third in 2024 due to a significant funding shortfall.

The agency, in collaboration with the World Food Program (WFP), will provide cash aid to 88,000 fewer families than the current year according to Lisa Abou Khaled, spokesperson for UNHCR. About 190,000 families will continue to receive assistance, capped at a maximum of $125 per household. The winter assistance program for heating fuel expenses, previously offered by UNHCR, has also been halted for the current year according to Abou Khaled. That aid “was critical for vulnerable families to survive the winter season,” she said.

The funding crunch is attributed to a shift in international attention away from the Syrian conflict, focusing more on Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas wars. As of 2023, the UNHCR Lebanon office has received funds covering only 36 percent of its annual budget, compared to 50 percent in 2022. The office has already reduced staff levels and program initiatives in 2023, with additional cuts anticipated in 2024.