Lebanon Appeal

Lebanon faces a multilayered crisis driven by ongoing hostilities, displacement, economic collapse and climate pressures. Coupled with increasing risk of disease outbreaks and public health emergencies, this has significantly increased child vulnerability and further strained the country's fragile systems. 

Hostilities intensified sharply on 2 March 2026, marking the worst deterioration of conflict since the November 2024 ceasefire and leaving more than 1.1 million people displaced, including more than 390,000 children. 5 As of 16 April, at least 2,196 people had been reported killed, including 172 children, and 7,185 reported wounded, including 661 children. 6 As of 16 April, 141,613 people are displaced in 690 official shelters. Overcrowded shelters are contributing to the spread of communicable diseases, while access to services remains difficult, particularly in hard-to-reach areas. Airstrikes and ongoing violence have damaged homes and critical infrastructure and disrupted access to water, healthcare, and education. Damage to transport corridors and essential service infrastructure continues to impede humanitarian access and service continuity in several conflict-affected districts. 

Political changes in the Syrian Arab Republic in December 2024 have created pathways for voluntary returns after more than a decade of displacement. Initial estimates indicated that 400,000 Syrians were expected to return from Lebanon to the Syrian Arab Republic between January and June 2026. The escalation of conflict in Lebanon has led to a spike in cross-border movements, with 202,477 individuals crossing from Lebanon into the Syrian Arab Republic through official border points in March alone, including 48,888 Syrians who intend to return permanently. 8 Despite these movements, large refugee populations remain, with many people unable to meet their basic needs and therefore resorting to harmful coping mechanisms. Lebanon also hosts 224,791 Palestine refugees, many living in camps or informal settings where children experience food insecurity, overcrowding, and limited access to services.

Lebanon’s prolonged economic crisis, compounded by conflict and displacement, has left low-income households, refugees and informal workers at heightened risk of poverty, food insecurity and social exclusion. Public services and social protection systems remain overstretched, limiting access to critical services.

Nearly 2.8 million people across all population groups in Lebanon face severe challenges in accessing safe, sufficient, and affordable water as well as safely managed sanitation and hygiene. Services are deteriorating due to severe conflict-related damage, energy shortages, and climate shocks. Access is particularly limited in informal gatherings and collective shelters, which increase the risk of outbreaks of waterborne disease. Vulnerabilities resulting from previous hostilities in 2024, which caused widespread infrastructure damage, have been further worsened by the current crisis. 

The education system is under severe strain. Many schools are non-functional or unsafe, with limited electricity, heating, or connectivity. Enrolment, particularly at the secondary level, has declined. High costs for transport to school and for materials and food, combined with limited access to non-formal and accelerated learning, have increased the risk of permanent learning loss. Non-Lebanese children face additional barriers related to certification that affect both the continuity of their education and prospects for safe return. The current crisis has only deepened these challenges. Approximately 256,000 students are affected by displacement, school closures in conflict-affected areas and the repurposing of schools as shelters. 

The health system is overstretched due to damage to facilities, displacement of healthcare workers, and increased demand from displaced and vulnerable populations, reducing access to essential child and maternal health services. Lebanon is experiencing a triple burden of malnutrition. Stunting among children under age 5 has doubled to 14 per cent since 2021, and has reached 19 per cent among displaced Syrian children. The recent escalation, marked by increased reported casualties among healthcare workers, attacks on emergency services, and the closure of health facilities, has further strained system capacity. 

Children face heightened risks of violence, injury, exploitation, child labour, and child marriage. Vulnerable groups, including children with disabilities and adolescent girls, experience compounded barriers to accessing services. Gender-based violence remains a major concern, and child accounting for 26 per cent of reported survivors. The current crisis is increasing protection risks. Overcrowded shelters, insecure living conditions, and dependence on others are increasing exposure to gender-based violence, exploitation, and domestic tensions.

Livelihood opportunities have sharply declined, with youth and women in particular facing significant barriers to employment. The current crisis has further disrupted livelihoods and market access, increasing reliance on humanitarian assistance to meet basic needs. While markets remain operational in many areas, rising food and fuel prices are eroding purchasing power for already vulnerable households.

Aligned with the inter-agency Lebanon Response Plan 2026, UNICEF delivers humanitarian programming that combines life-saving and life-sustaining response with preparedness for shocks. UNICEF targets the most vulnerable children and communities, including internally displaced persons, Palestine and Syrian refugees, and Syrians returning to the Syrian Arab Republic, delivering services and supplies at scale. UNICEF will continue to support the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of Syrians in 2026 through the Durable Solutions Working Group, in coordination with UNICEF programmes in that country. 

UNICEF’s overall approach in Lebanon focuses on strengthening national systems to sustain service delivery amid crises. In line with the transition to national leadership of humanitarian and stabilization efforts, UNICEF works with government institutions, including the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Water Establishments, the Ministry of Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Public Health. Support focuses on maintaining the continuity of services through capacity strengthening, provision of critical supplies and equipment, and policy support to mitigate the impacts of the country's economic and humanitarian crises. 

In response to the March 2026 escalation of conflict, UNICEF is implementing its emergency preparedness and response plan, aligned with the inter-agency response, to scale up life-saving assistance to the more than 1.1 million people, including 390,000 children, who have beendisplaced. The response prioritizes rapid delivery of life-saving support to children and families, including those in hard-to-reach areas, while sustaining essential services through national and community-based systems despite severe access constraints and ongoing hostilities. Operations focus on three settings: collective shelters, affected communities and hard-to-reach areas, including border regions. UNICEF’s response targets all vulnerable populations, including Lebanese persons, Syrian refugees, and Palestine refugees, with interventions ranging from broad support, such as maintaining water systems and primary healthcare, to targeted assistance, including cash transfers and youth engagement.

UNICEF plays a central coordination role, co-leading the Education sector and leading the WASH and Nutrition sectors and the Child Protection Working Group, while contributing to the Health, Gender-based Violence, Accountability to Affected Populations, Livelihoods, and Basic Assistance working groups. Through these roles, UNICEF supports coordinated, nationwide delivery and strengthens emergency preparedness and disaster risk reduction capacities at national and subnational levels. 

Integrated programming remains central to UNICEF’s approach. Through Makani centres, 20 UNICEF delivers combined education, protection, nutrition and child development, and youth services. Joint programming with partners also strengthens access to maternal and newborn health and primary healthcare for the most vulnerable communities. In Palestinian camps, UNICEF provides integrated support covering child protection, early childhood education, youth engagement, and health and nutrition services. UNICEF has mainstreamed gender-based violence risk mitigation in all programmatic sectors through risk analysis, safety audits and strengthened referral pathways. 

UNICEF prioritizes the protection of children impacted by armed conflict through case management services including family tracing and reunification as well as large-scale delivery of explosive ordnance risk education. Community engagement and accountability to affected populations underpin all interventions. Strengthened feedback and participation mechanisms, alongside risk communication and community engagement, drive demand for essential services and promote priority behaviours across sectors. Integrated community feedback and social listening will track rumours and inform real-time programme adaptation, ensuring equitable reach. Gender and disability inclusion are mainstreamed across programmes, alongside targeted initiatives for girls and children with disabilities. Protection from sexual exploitation and abuse is integrated across operations, with UNICEF supporting partners to strengthen safeguarding standards.