Lebanon

Between September and December 2024, more than 47,000 individuals, including over 28,000 women and girls, accessed critical, life-saving assistance, delivered by UN Women and its partners following the large-scale humanitarian crisis caused by Israel�s escalation of military operations in Lebanon. This comprised of protection and livelihood support, including emergency cash assistance, hot meals, hygiene kits, winterization, protection assistance (case management, psychosocial support, protection cash, GBV awareness) across all population groups (Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian and other nationalities), and reaching particularly marginalized populations, such as persons with disabilities (438) and women migrant domestic workers (3,323). Women-led organizations (WLOs) partnered with UN Women to deliver this assistance, amplifying women�s leadership in the humanitarian crisis response. Specifically, 16 WLOs accessed direct funding, leveraging UN Women�s broad network of grassroots women community leaders and peacebuilders. Populations in hard-to-reach areas, including in Tyr in south of the Litani River also accessed assistance, with 850 IDPs staying in the collective shelter in Tyr throughout the conflict received daily hot meals and fresh vegetables through a community kitchen established in the shelter at a time when humanitarian access to the area was severely constrained. Further, 20 displaced persons (16 women and 4 men) were employed through wages-for-work to prepare over 32,300 meals and cultivate fresh vegetables on municipal land to supplement these meals as well as the food parcels provided by WFP and other agencies. Tyr became a refuge for thousands of displaced inhabitants from border villages, whose homes and agricultural lands were destroyed. Displaced persons accessed support under the implemented in partnership with the Disaster Risk Reduction unit at the Union of Municipalities of Tyre and a WLO. Humanitarian actors and advocates could also access analysis on the gendered needs and priorities of women and girls to inform humanitarian response planning and implementation and evidence-based advocacy through UN Women�s production of three Gender Alerts: When Crises Strike, Gender Inequalities are often Exacerbated: The Urgent Needs of Crisis Affected Women and Girls in Lebanon On the Frontlines: Women-Led Organizations Central to Lebanon�s Crisis Response Gender and Displacement in Lebanon at the Juncture of the Ceasefire Following the ceasefire, the majority of displaced persons returned to their communities, though over 115,000 individuals (53 per cent female) remain unable to return due to damage to their homes and community infrastructure and access restrictions. UN Women will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to affected women and girls, expand social space for WLO to participate and lead in the response and advocate and support women�s

In 2023, 966 women earned income and enhanced their skills through cash for work opportunities in three newly established and one existing menstrual hygiene pad production facilities, seven community kitchens, and one carpentry workshop. These women also participated in community awareness raising sessions on prevention of gender-based violence. These results were achieved through a collaborative partnership between UN Women and seven local and international NGOs with the aim of enhancing women�s social and economic inclusion during a critical period of severe economic and financial distress in Lebanon affecting all population groups. The income enabled women to meet their basic needs such as food, health and shelter. According to the endline surveys conducted from the first phase of the programme in 2023 [1], 84 per cent of women increased their income, 48 per cent reported a decrease in reliance on negative coping strategies, and 100 per cent of the participants felt they increased their skills and confidence to seek employment. In accordance with the Leaving No One Behind commitment, the programme reached some of the most vulnerable populations in Lebanon, including women with disabilities (159), Syrian and Palestinian refugee women (456), and survivors of gender-based violence. Furthermore, the participants not only increased their income and enhanced skills, but they delivered assistance to vulnerable women and households in their own communities through their work. In total, the women produced 1.2 million disposable menstrual hygiene pads and 3,180 reusable baby diaper sets and increased awareness of over 24,000 women and girls on menstrual hygiene through peer-to-peer sessions. Out of the 1.2 million pads produced, 408,960 of these pads were distributed to 6,816 women and girls in Lebanon, including 1,200 boxes that were delivered to women and children displaced by the recent conflict in South Lebanon. Womenworking with community kitchens produced and delivered 146,028 meals to 7,053 individuals. Another twenty women produced cabinets, shelves and chairs for a local community centre, while another twenty women reached over 1,600 women, raising awareness for the prevention of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation and abuse. Women in Lebanon face discrimination and constraints of gendered social norms that prevent them from fully participating in the economy. The project addresses these barriers by creating short-term work opportunities open to women from diverse backgrounds, where they gain income and work experience that otherwise would be difficult to access. This result contributes towards SDG Goals 5 and 8 and the Lebanon CO Strategic Note Outcome 2.1) and Lebanon UNSDCF Outcome 2 of Impact Area 2 PROSPERITY �Number of people with improved skills to access labor market�. [1] 403 women participated in the first phase of the cash-for-work programme in 2023, of which 300 completed both a baseline and endline survey.