Finland to grant humanitarian assistance to Lebanon

Finland will grant two million euros in humanitarian assistance to the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR’s operation in Lebanon to support refugees and internally displaced persons.

The escalation of the situation in the Middle East and the hostilities have led to a rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis in Lebanon.

A large number of people have fled the attacks in a very short time, and the number of internally displaced persons is already estimated at over one million in a country with a population of about 5.8 million. The number of displaced persons is expected to increase as military actions continue.

Finland will grant two million euros in humanitarian assistance to Lebanon through the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

“The humanitarian situation in Lebanon is very dire. The UNHCR focuses support to vulnerable groups, such as families with children and persons with disabilities, by providing accommodation and basic commodities, among other assistance,” says Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio.

Finland also granted humanitarian assistance to the region as part of the decisions made in early 2026. In total, Finland granted approximately EUR 19 million in flexible, targeted humanitarian funding to organisations that respond to the humanitarian situation in Lebanon, among other countries.

Finland is funding the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which have allocated a total of EUR 15.5 million to humanitarian action in Lebanon.

Finland also uses humanitarian funding to support the work carried out in Lebanon by Plan International Finland, the UNHCR, and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).