UN faces severe funding shortfall for Lebanon aid, with only 17% of appeal met

The United Nations announced Friday that it is facing a severe funding shortage for providing humanitarian aid to Lebanon, with only 17% of its donation appeal funded.

Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), stated during a press conference in Geneva, “Needs are increasing by the minute, and the pledged funds are insufficient to secure food, medicine, or shelters” for those displaced by the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

He added, “We are witnessing a rapid deterioration in the humanitarian situation,” and expressed hope that “U.N. agencies and our partners will receive funds quickly.”

The spokesperson clarified that the appeal for humanitarian aid for Lebanon has so far raised only 17% of the $426 million requested, including $17 million from Italy, $11.7 million from the United States, $10 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund, $9.3 million from Sweden, $7.2 million from France, $6.4 million from the United Kingdom, and $5.5 million from Germany.

Laerke added, “We are, of course, grateful to the French government for hosting the important donor conference last month in October. As you know, the French government announced that donor countries pledged around $800 million for humanitarian aid for Lebanon.”

However, he urged donors to convert these pledges into cash contributions to enable the U.N. to deliver aid to Lebanon effectively, emphasizing, “We cannot proceed without receiving the funds urgently.”