Lebanon receives $1.57 billion refugee fund as of August

International funding to Lebanon stood at around 1.57 billion U.S. dollars as of August this year, which saw a remarkable rise since June, said a statement released Wednesday.

Among the total 1.57 billion dollars, 1.22 billion has already been disbursed or committed to be disbursed this year, said the statement, released by the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL).

"This level of funding shows the continued high level of donor support to Lebanon in response to the impact of the Syrian crisis," said the statement.

The funding includes 979 million dollars provided to UN agencies and NGOs in support of activities under the 2016 Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP), which is now 47 percent funded, said the statement.

Philippe Lazzarini, resident and humanitarian coordinator from the UNSCOL, noted that continued support is essential for the country, since more than 70 percent of Syrian refugees live below the poverty line, which is 3.84 dollars of spending per day.

Poverty also hits the Lebanese population, with approximately 32 percent of Lebanese living in poverty, according to the LCRP.

Lazzarini thanked the "huge amount of assistance" from donor countries so far, but also noted that "much more needs to be done," stressing collective responsibility in addressing the refugee crisis.

Source : XINHUA