The Lebanon Humanitarian Fund (LHF) is one of OCHA’s Country Based Pooled Funds (CBPF), established in 2014 following the decentralization of the Regional Syria Fund.

Aligned with the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP), the fund is a predictable and complementary source of humanitarian financing, making timely and flexible funding available for life-saving humanitarian and critical stabilization activities.

Since its establishment, the LHF has allocated US $38.36 million to support the response in Lebanon. By funding urgent unmet humanitarian needs across the country, the LHF has supported more than 837,314 individuals – including Syrian and Palestinian Refugees and vulnerable Lebanese – 55 per cent of whom are women and girls.

In 2017, the Fund set a target to channel over half of its finances to National Non-Governmental Organizations (NNGOs), as part of a continued effort to support and empower them. This target has been achieved. In addition, 48 NNGO staff benefited from LHF trainings throughout 2017, on topics ranging from pooled fund programme cycles to financial and operational rules and regulations.  

Objectives

Inclusiveness, flexibility, timeliness, efficiency, partnership, transparency and value for money are the principles which underpin the use of the LHF. The LHF enables the delivery of humanitarian assistance by specifically focusing on:

• Assisting vulnerable Lebanese communities
• Responding in a timely manner to any unforeseen humanitarian emergency
• Addressing the challenges of underfunded sectors and ensuring the continuity of services provided to the most vulnerable
• Empowering NNGOs and increasing their outreach
• Ensuring a reserve fund for emergency issues, in line with the Lebanon Interagency Contingency Plan.