The Government of the United Kingdom has announced £15 million in humanitarian funding to support vulnerable people affected by the ongoing conflict across the Middle East. The new funding package aims to provide life-saving assistance to hundreds of thousands of people who have been displaced or are at risk due to the worsening humanitarian situation.
Half of the funding will support humanitarian organisations operating in Lebanon, where around 800,000 people have been displaced. The support includes £3.5 million for urgent humanitarian appeals delivered by the World Food Programme, UNICEF and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to provide food, shelter, clean water, medical care and other essential services for displaced civilians. An additional £2 million will go to the Lebanese Red Cross to help maintain emergency medical services and provide relief items, while another £2 million will support the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross in delivering immediate humanitarian assistance, including medical support for people fleeing violence.
The remaining funds will support humanitarian partners across the wider region and strengthen preparedness for potential large-scale displacement and refugee movements. This includes £3 million for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to support its Regional Refugee Response Plan and assist people at risk of displacement from Iran to neighbouring countries. Another £3 million will support operations led by the International Organization for Migration and UNICEF in Afghanistan, focusing on emergency preparedness and nutrition supplies for vulnerable children, particularly for Afghans returning due to the conflict in Iran. In addition, £1 million will assist the International Committee of the Red Cross in Iraq to deliver humanitarian aid, including medical treatment and support for hospitals, ambulance services and blood transfusion systems. A further £0.5 million will help UNICEF address emerging humanitarian needs across the region, including protection for children and support for women and girls.
The funding package includes the £5 million in humanitarian assistance announced earlier in the week. Yvette Cooper, the UK Foreign Secretary, confirmed in a statement to Parliament that the additional support will help deliver emergency medical care, shelter and other critical aid to people in Lebanon and across the region as humanitarian needs continue to grow.
