Prime Minister Najib Mikati discussed Friday with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon the situation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon as well as preparations for Jan. 30 donors conference to be held in Kuwait.
“[The two discussed] the current situation in the Middle East and ongoing cooperation between Lebanon and international organizations with regard to Syrian refugees in Lebanon in addition to preparations for the upcoming donors conference in Kuwait,” a statement from Mikati’s office said.
The two met on the sideline of the economic summit in Davos, Switzerland.
Lebanon has appealed to the U.N. and donor countries to help the government cope with the rising number of Syrian refugees, who number over 200,000.
During an extraordinary session of the Arab League in Cairo earlier this month, Lebanese officials urged Arab states to support Beirut’s plan to deal with the influx of refugees which involves an annual budget of $180 million to pay for health, social and education services for the displaced.
The donors conference in Kuwait aims at assessing the situation of refugees on the ground in host countries.
Valerie Amos, the undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, said Thursday the results of the conference would determine whether the U.N. would be able to “reach the poorest and most vulnerable families” in Syria.
The U.N. has estimated that the number of Syrian refugees will reach 1 million by June of this year.
