As Lebanon faces the worst socio-economic crisis in its modern history, all communities – Lebanese, refugees, migrants, and others – are struggling to survive and endure the compounded emergencies affecting the country. The situation is highly precarious, with needs and vulnerabilities growing ever more urgent and acute.
For UNDP, UNHCR and UNRWA, leaving no one behind means making sure that all human lives are at the center of our responses. This is about ensuring that the most vulnerable people of our society, those most at risk of not enjoying their civil, cultural, economic, political, or social rights, are able to access services, live in safety and dignity and are not left behind in recovery processes. It also includes ensuring that promoting human rights is at the heart of our interventions – that they are central to them.
The UN’s people-centered approach in Lebanon prioritizes sustainable development, peace, and humanitarian aid by adopting an inclusive rights- based approach that ensures no one is left behind, notably in matters of gender equality. Our response must address every person in need. With so many people falling below the poverty line and the survival threshold, we are joining forces with our partners to improve the socioeconomic conditions, including through basic service provision, in which people at risk – men, women and children – can live in safety, security and dignity, and can develop their human potential.
To prevent a further deterioration of services and instability in Lebanon that would take long to reverse, efforts should be focused on developing a medium-term strategy to both address structural problems and mitigate the immediate adverse effects of ongoing crises on individuals, whoever they are. We continue to support Lebanon in dealing with the refugee crisis in a way that is geared towards enabling the refugees to find a longer-term, sustainable, and fair solution to their situations outside of Lebanon, while supporting their dignified stay. We know from experience the longer a crisis endures, the more vulnerabilities rise among affected communities. With more than half of the Lebanese estimated to now be living in poverty, and even higher rates among refugee communities, we know how critical it is to support all communities in need to ensure no one is left behind.
Going forward, the UN reaffirms its commitment side by side with national and international stakeholders to uphold human rights and human dignity as critical to humanitarian response, development, and resilience interventions. We must continue to address the challenge of leaving no one behind, and we must do this through concrete action.
In this regard, UNDP, UNHCR, and UNRWA collectively dedicate this special issue of the peace building news supplement to every individual in Lebanon - regardless of ethnicity, gender, geography, disability, race, or other status. Their stories must be heard, their needs assessed and addressed, and their rights safeguarded.