Humanitarian Action for Children 2025 - Lebanon
HIGHLIGHTS
- Although a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel was announced on 26 November 2024, the situation remains fragile. The conflict has been the deadliest period Lebanon has experienced since 2006, with 3,961 persons reported killed, including 248 children and 736 women, as well as 16,520 injured, including 1,436 children and 2,827 women.
- Conflict-affected populations throughout Lebanon face reduced access to services and heightened protection concerns. The International Organization for Migration has reported around 875,000 internally displaced people, while the Ministry of Education and Higher Education estimates around 500,000 school-aged children are displaced.
- UNICEF is scaling up the response for people affected by crises, including Syrian and Palestinian refugees, internally displaced persons and host communities. The focus is on vulnerable children. UNICEF is enhancing its preparedness for further escalation, increased restrictions in access, mounting child protection concerns, risk of epidemics, winter needs, increased socioeconomic pressures and possible civil unrest. Programmatic priorities include provision of safe drinking water, improved sanitation, learning continuity, child protection, health and nutrition, social protection and youth engagement. UNICEF leads the education, nutrition and WASH sectors and the child protection subsector.
- UNICEF requires US$658.2 million for humanitarian interventions to reach 2.4 million people in 2025.
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AND NEEDS
Compounding crises are impacting vulnerable children in Lebanon. Although a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel was announced on 26 November 2024, the situation remains fragile. Following the ceasefire announcement, thousands of displaced persons began returning to their homes in southern and eastern Lebanon, where villages were severely damaged during the conflict and are potentially contaminated with unexploded ordnance of war. Since September 2024, more than 875,000 internally displaced persons have been recorded. Furthermore, 11 UNRWA sites are hosting Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian internally displaced persons, with Palestinian camps in Beqaa and Tyre nearly empty.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimated there were 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon in 2024, 52 per cent of them children. The Government reports more than 522,000 people have left Lebanon for the Syrian Arab Republic, including a significant number of Syrians. The 2023 Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon found that more than 37 per cent of households had at least one member with a disability. Access to clean water, sanitation facilities and hygiene is a challenge for refugees in non-permanent shelters.
The conflict, which began on 8 October 2023, has been the deadliest period Lebanon had experienced since 2006, with 3,961 persons reported killed, including 248 children and 736 women, as well as 16,520 injured, including 1,436 children and 2,827 women.
More than 12,000 airstrikes and shelling incidents have been reported across Lebanon, 12 with extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and disruption of public services, including 63 attacks on health facilities, with 178 health personnel killed and 8 hospitals evacuated. 6 There are 36 water and sanitation facilities damaged or destroyed, impacting access to WASH services for 390,000 people. 13 In areas of return, there will be increased pressure and demand on water infrastructure; and although some shelters may close, there will still be displaced persons in shelters in need of hygiene and sanitation support.
Education remains disrupted because schools are being used as shelters; 40 per cent of the 1,014 shelters opened as of 31 October are in public schools. Following the postponement of start of the 2024–2025 school year to early November, 14 nearly 350 public schools have reopened. However at least 500,000 students 15 are estimated to remain displaced.
Children’s nutrition status and cognitive development may suffer, leading to long-term impacts on their learning, behaviour and emotional well-being.
Children are also facing heightened protection risks, including psychological distress, family separation, trafficking and increased exposure to violence due to the conflict and displacement. The spread of unexploded ordnance raises risks of children being injured or killed. Women and adolescent girls face risks of sexual assault and harassment. In addition, women and girls face menstrual hygiene management challenges.
The risks of resumption of conflict, disease outbreaks, epidemics, harsh winter conditions, socioeconomic pressures and possible civil unrest will compound an already complex humanitarian situation and response.
