BEIRUT/ZAHLE, Lebanon: Prime Minister Tammam Salam voiced hope Tuesday evening that a high-profile donor aid-pledging conference in Kuwait would net needed funds for the Syrian refugee crisis. “We hope that this conference ... will help us to continue shouldering our burdens,” Salam said after arriving in Kuwait City.
As the Syrian war enters its fifth year, humanitarians, host communities and refugees are pinning hopes on continued charity from the international community.
Sitting on an overturned bucket, Obeid Ahmad watched as the rain fell outside his tent. Ahmad and his family fled Hama two years ago and have settled into a consistent if not comfortable routine in the Bekaa Valley. But as the crisis enters its fifth year, Ahmad worries that the already sparing humanitarian aid he receives will begin to dry up.
“Now money is going to all different crises,” he said. “We’re becoming a lesser priority.”
At the Kuwait conference, international donors are expected to pledge much-needed funds to help Syrian refugees and host communities. The need is great: The regional response plan for 2015, which would aid both Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities, is just 6 percent funded, according to a press release issued by the United Nations Security Council last week.
As new conflicts erupt in the region, some are concerned that the international community has lost interest in the Syrian refugee crisis. “Money is now going to fight terrorism,” Ahmad said.
Ross Mountain, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, cited conflicts in Iraq, Yemen and Libya as potentially drawing donors’ attention away from the Syrian crisis and its impact on neighboring countries.
Still, Mountain told The Daily Star that he was “not pessimistic” about the Kuwait conference: “In my view it’s an excellent opportunity to state [Lebanon’s] case before a very important audience.”
Donors, he said, have been receptive to the idea of helping refugees and host communities together, and have begun opening development coffers.
“This is not just a humanitarian crisis, it is also very much about maintaining stability in Lebanon.”
A diplomatic source revealed that the United States would make “a substantial pledge to Lebanon,” of more than $100 million at the conference. Previous reports that the U.S. would pledge $500 million to Lebanon were incorrect.
It remains unclear, however, if other countries will be as generous.
“There is donor fatigue,” said Mario Abou Zeid, a research analyst at the Carnegie Middle East Center. Moreover, he added that donors have been frustrated by “the high level of corruption and the lack of coordination between international agencies and the [Lebanese] government.”
Without donations from the international community, however, the “Lebanese internal security and stability” may be put “at risk,” he said.
Without adequate support from the international community, Syrian refugees in Lebanon “will have to resort to any resources available” including criminal activity or even joining deep-pocketed radical groups, Abou Zeid added.
“We need the international community now more than ever,” said Hamad Hassan, the Mayor of Baalbek. “But there is no interest by the international community to help.”
The city is hosting tens of thousands of Syrian refugees.
According to Hassan, this has increased security concerns and brought tourism to a staggering halt. Despite promises to fund development projects in the city, he “cannot say that any project has been implemented.”
“What worries me the most is that we are left alone to fight without support,” Hassan said.
At the Kuwait conference, Hassan hopes Lebanon “will be allocated a certain amount of aid so we can stand upright.”
Lebanese officials, led by Salam, are expected to ask for $2.1 billion to finance both humanitarian aid for refugees and development projects for host communities.
As many as 78 nations and 40 international organizations will attend the conference in Kuwait, also known as Kuwait III.
The previous two gatherings collected nearly $3.9 billion in aid pledges. However, U.N. humanitarian agencies have complained that many donor countries have failed to follow through on pledges.
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