Reconfiguring Relief Mechanisms: The Syrian Refugee Crisis in Lebanon

This paper highlights the specificity of the refugee crisis in the unstable Lebanese landscape and calls for the reconfiguring of current relief mechanisms by enabling decentralized local authorities to lead the process. Crisis Management Teams (CMTs), part of Mohafazat councils, will be responsible of collaborating with national and international agencies, planning and monitoring relief projects.
The paper also draws on the experience gained by the Community Projects and Development unit (CDPu) – American University of Beirut (AUB), and recommends engaging refugees in municipal public works along ecological lines, as a means to highlight self-reliance among the refugees’ communities and to alleviate rising tensions among refugees and the host communities.