Stephen Dockery
The number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon receiving aid from the United Nations is approaching 200,000, as the body’s aid agency warned it doesn’t have enough space to handle the refugees’ registration.
Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour is scheduled to travel to Cairo Saturday to discuss donor aid at a meeting of Arab Foreign Ministers, and Friday he said he had sent a brief outlining Lebanon’s need for $180 million in funding.
In a statement carried by the National News Agency, Mansour said the total package of about $180 million was being outstripped by the steady rise in refugee numbers.
“We are in need of $180 million to cover all the expenses. But this sum was arrived at before the current number, which is exceeding 200,000 people,” Mansour said.
Mansour said he was in coordination with Syrian authorities “to find solutions” so that Syrians would be able to return to their country. He said he disagreed with the use of the term “refugees,” since it implied permanency, and prefers the term “displaced.”
The UNHCR registered 5,400 new refugees as the total number of refugees counted jumped by almost 20,000 since last week’s report. Local aid organizations said tens of thousands of more refugees are in the country but have yet to be counted.
Nearly 55,000 Syrians are receiving aid from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees but have not been officially registered as refugees.
For the past several months there have been tens of thousands of refugees waiting to register, but that number has climbed sharply recently to a quarter of their total number.
The UNHCR said insufficient registration space in Beirut is to blame for the spike in pending refugees. The establishment of two recent registration expansion sites fell through due to problems with landlords.
“Two expansion plans close to completion in December fell through at the last minute due to the landlord’s reluctance to use the space for refugees,” the UNHCR’s weekly report wrote.
The heavy storm that hit Lebanon this week consumed much of the aid organization’s efforts. The UNHCR worked to clear roads, distribute heating aid and provide health care to the refugees living in basic shelters and partially exposed to the cold conditions.
“Refugees residing in the north, Bekaa [Valley] and Sidon areas were affected most, with several shelters flooded and many people left feeling very cold,” the report said.
The UNHCR said partner aid organizations distributed heaters, blankets and mattresses to people affected by the cold weather as well as plastic sheeting, nails and wood so families could weatherproof their home.
“One of the biggest challenges in responding to the needs of Syrian refugees continues to be shelter, and this was even more evident this week given the winter weather,” the report said.
Because of the huge influx of refugees, much of the country’s low income housing has been filled, forcing families into temporary shelters and unconventional homes.
Also, despite comments from ministers recently about closing the border to prevent Syrian refugees from entering the country, the UNHCR reported refugee entry into Lebanon continues and the open border policy has gotten important endorsements from the premier and head of General Security.
Also Friday, refugee aid from Kuwait and the Red Cross was distributed in Jbeil by a local mosque. In Sidon, aid was distributed by the Islamic Aid organization to refugees.
U.N. Goodwill Ambassador and actress Mia Farrow is due to visit Lebanon next week and tour refugee areas to raise awareness about the difficulties Syrians are facing.
