Lebanon Syrian Crisis Trust Fund Grants $10M to Lebanese Municipalities

A multi-donor trust fund, the Lebanon Syrian Crisis Trust Fund (LSCTF), which is aimed at assisting Lebanese communities accommodating Syrian refugees, launched its first project on the 12^th of September, 2014. The project consisted of granting $10M to municipalities which are most strained by an inflow of more than 1.5M Syrians, which are approximately 25% of the Lebanese population.

The first country to participate in the trust fund was Norway, followed by Finland and France. Jointly, Norway and Finland contributed $30M to the LSCTF, and France transferred $10M.

The World Bank estimated that Lebanon would need $1.6B to survive the crisis and preserve the most basic necessities to its population and guests. Hence, the World Bank Group and the international community are trying to increase financial support to the country.

The fund’s first project targeting municipalities that have been most affected by the Syrian crisis will offer priority interventions at the local level through preserving basic necessities, presenting vital infrastructure and endorsing social cohesion. This would help Lebanese hosts tackle urgent priority public services like water, sanitation, roads and community activities, and targeting areas most affected by the Syrian refugee inflows.

Worth mentioning that the World Bank will be administering the LSCTF to ensure that the projects are funded in a transparent and efficient manner.

Lebanon Syrian Crisis Trust Fund

Source: World Bank