The UN said in a statement on Saturday that it had taken the decision, based on Lebanese demands, to temporarily halt the use of the dollar in addition to the Lebanese pound for the disbursement of aid next month to the refugees, while continuing discussions on the appropriate way to provide assistance.
The Lebanese pound has lost more than 98% of its value since the start of the economic collapse in 2019, overwhelming Lebanese families and around 800,000 Syrians registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Last Tuesday, the humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon, Omran Reda, and other United Nations officials said their agencies would begin distributing aid to refugees in dollars and pounds.
They said the “rapid depreciation” of the pound, fluctuations in the exchange rate and the logistical challenges of obtaining large sums of Lebanese currency had made it “impossible for the United Nations and its partners to continue disbursing cash aid only in pounds”.
But the agencies themselves changed that after Friday’s meetings with interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Social Affairs Minister Hector al-Hajjar.
Al-Hajjar told a press conference that his ministry had not been properly informed of the decision to provide aid in dollars, which he said would increase tensions between the refugees and the Lebanese. A government source said Mikati was also unaware of the decision to provide aid in dollars.
The UN retreat comes amid growing social tensions in Lebanon over the refugee issue. Officials said the country could no longer afford to host Syrians as it struggled to deal with its own financial crisis.
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