HAMILTON, Canada
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher warned Wednesday that mass displacement in Lebanon is accelerating rapidly as ongoing hostilities force hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.
“Mass displacement is accelerating, with over 750,000 people now registered with the Government of Lebanon as on the move,” Fletcher told an emergency session of the UN Security Council in a virtual briefing.
He said nearly 84,000 Syrians and more than 8,000 Lebanese have crossed into Syria since March 2.
Fletcher said the humanitarian crisis has intensified quickly after months of violence, with casualties continuing to rise.
“Over 570 people reported killed, and over 1,400 injured since 2 March,” he said.
Large movements of displaced people into densely populated urban areas are overwhelming shelter capacity, Fletcher said. More than 120,000 people -- including thousands of children -- are now staying in 580 collective shelters.
“This is a moment of grave peril for Lebanon, and for the region. For all of us. Too many warning lights are flashing. Actions have consequences,” he said.
Fletcher warned that Lebanon’s history and fragile situation make it particularly vulnerable to global instability.
“When the world turns away from international law and human solidarity, Lebanon shakes,” he said.
“And when leaders feel unrestrained, and the rules are in retreat … then Lebanon shakes.”
Fletcher announced that "a three-month, hyper-prioritized Flash Appeal will be launched in Beirut later this week," and that an additional "$15 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to help scale up life-saving work" will also be released.
"War does not stay neatly within borders," he said. Lebanon's humanitarian crisis is "just one more consequence of a regional war that is out of control."
He explained the effect of regional war on "the most vulnerable people," saying that the price of flour is up by 270% in Gaza and global shipping costs have increased 16% amid hostilities in the region, as well as the disruption to the Strait of Hormuz.
"We anticipate delays of six months in the delivery of supplies across multiple humanitarian responses," he said.
Fletcher had three requests from the Council, the first being the protection of civilians and humanitarians, as well as ensuring the protection of their premises.
He then asked for "generous funding" for increased humanitarian response, as he criticized the "staggering amounts of money, reportedly a billion dollars a day, spent on destruction, while politicians boast of cutting aid to those in the gravest danger."
"With a fraction of this money, we can save millions of lives globally," he said.
The UN relief chief finally asked for "calmer heads to prevail," saying that "we need a revival of strategic, calm, rational, hopeful diplomacy."
"And yet we are seeing a sustained attack against the systems meant to restrain states from reckless warfare, a pattern of attrition against international law and humanitarian principles. Politicians flexing their muscles by sending others to die," he said.
Emphasizing the fatigue of Lebanon due to "other people’s wars," Fletcher said the country is "not asking for help, but for oxygen."