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. Today it is a well-capacitated and flexible CBPF which, under the leadership of the Humanitarian Coordinator, continues to support the most vulnerable in Lebanon.

The Fund’s activities are aligned with coordinated in-country humanitarian response planning, including the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP), allowing the fund to be a predictable and complementary source of humanitarian financing, making timely and flexible funding available for life-saving humanitarian activities.

Since its establishment, the LHF has allocated over US $80 million to support critical humanitarian needs in Lebanon, almost 90 percent of which went to national and international NGOs. As a result of generous donor contributions totaling $22 million in 2020, the LHF launched four evidence-based multi-sectoral allocations for a value of $16.3 million through 21 partners and 23 projects targeting beneficiaries with acute vulnerabilities. In line with the LHF’s person-centered approach, all funded projects targeted those most vulnerable profiles of people, including the elderly, people with special needs and those with chronic medical conditions.

As the overall situation in Lebanon continued to deteriorate as a result of the ongoing socio-economic crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of the 4th August explosions in Beirut, the LHF has proven a flexible and accountable funding mechanism to respond to new and growing needs in Lebanon. Recent allocations supported the critical life-saving needs of most vulnerable people across all populations cohorts, mitigating against their increase vulnerability as a result of Lebanon’s multiple crises.

Additional information on the LHF is available at: Data on Country-Based Pooled Funds’ activities is also available at the Country-Based Pooled Funds Data Hub: https://pfdata.unocha.org/?fund=cbpf  

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 all vulnerable communities in Lebanon regardless of status, nationality, gender or age
• 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 unforeseen emergencies.