Tánaiste announces €2.5 million in humanitarian assistance to Lebanon

During his visit to Lebanon this week, the Tánaiste has announced a contribution of €2.5 million in humanitarian assistance to the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund.

Announcing the funding, the Tánaiste said:

“The UN’s Lebanon Humanitarian Fund is a key partner for Ireland and a vital part of our humanitarian response in Lebanon. The Fund has proven itself in recent years to be highly responsive to the critical needs of those most in need in Lebanon including vulnerable Lebanese, Syrian refugees and others.

“Lebanon has faced, and continues to face, very difficult challenges including the conflict last year and the impact of other events in the region. Over four million people in Lebanon are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. Ireland’s contribution today of €2.5 million builds on a substantial allocation of €10 million in funding to Lebanon in 2024.”

In 2024, Lebanon faced its most severe crisis since the 2006 Lebanon war, with a conflict that killed over 4,000 people, injured over 16,600 and caused enormous displacement and widespread infrastructure damage. The escalation in hostilities came against a backdrop of many previous internal and external shocks. Lebanon also hosts the largest number of refugees per capita in the world, including Palestine and Syrian refugees. Even prior to the conflict in 2024, refugees and vulnerable host populations in Lebanon faced poverty and food security issues with the conflict only compounding this crisis.

Welcoming the funding announcement, Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond, said:

“Conflict has had a serious impact on people’s lives in Lebanon, including vulnerable refugees. Ireland is committed to working with our UN partners to provide predictable and flexible funding to support people who need assistance.”

The UN’s 2025 Lebanese Response Plan estimates that 4.1 million people are in need in Lebanon in 2025, calling for $3.2 billion to reach 3.6 million of these.

The Lebanon Humanitarian Fund (LHF) is a UN managed Country-Based Pooled Fund. LHF is Ireland’s largest partner in Lebanon and is a critical part of the humanitarian system there and has operated for over 10 years providing timely and flexible funding for humanitarian activities.

The Fund channels funding to eligible national and international NGOs and UN agencies. LHF has proven itself a very capable humanitarian partner that ensures all funded projects target the most vulnerable groups of people, including the elderly, people with special needs, and those with chronic medical conditions. In 2024 it received $80.5 million from 16 donors and disbursed $65.6 million to 89 projects.

Last year, prior to the upsurge in violence in September, Ireland had already provided over €4 million in humanitarian assistance to Lebanon through the UN’s Lebanon Humanitarian Fund (LHF) and to NGOs including Concern and Trócaire. That assistance was primarily focussed on Syrian refugees and their Lebanese host communities.

In September 2024, in response to the escalation of hostilities, the Ireland announced a further €1 million to UNHCR. As the situation worsened a further €5 million was allocated by Ireland to the LHF (€3 million), the World Health Organisation (€1 million) and Education Cannot Wait (€3 million) at the International conference on Lebanon held in Paris on 24 October.