The Impact of the Syrian Refugee Crisis on the Lebanese NGOs and Civil Society Sector

Abstract

Since 2011, Lebanon hosts the largest concentration of refugees per capita. In March 2019, despite some voluntary returns, Lebanon was still home for about 1.5 million Syrian refugees. On the other hand, 1.5 million Lebanese from host communities have been negatively impacted by the Syrian crisis and live below the poverty line, while 336,000 require humanitarian assistance. Yet, humanitarian aid funding remains insufficient to cover demand for basic assistance for both refugee and host communities—only one-third of requirements are funded—and the Lebanese government failed to implement efficient policies. Confronted with those gaps, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and civil society actors stepped up. After providing an outlook on NGOs’ efforts to mitigate the main effects of the humanitarian crisis in the country, this chapter sheds light on the impact of the Syrian refugee crisis on the NGOs and the civil society in Lebanon. It concludes by reflecting on the future prospects of the crisis in Lebanon and formulating recommendations.