The Diplomat
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), has sent humanitarian aid to Lebanon to respond to the deteriorating situation resulting from the recent escalation of violence in the Middle East, which has led to a significant increase in the forced displacement of people.
In response to requests for support from the Lebanese authorities, Spain has sent a total of 33,050 essential kits, representing an investment of €519,795.61, intended to cover the basic needs of approximately 54,370 people, as reported by the Ministry in a press release on Thursday.
Specifically, the shipment includes 30,800 hygiene kits, designed to cater to different needs (families, women, men, and babies), which will provide assistance to more than 43,000 people; and 2,250 kitchen kits, intended for approximately 11,250 people, with the aim of providing basic food preparation facilities in displacement contexts.
According to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, an estimated 1.3 million people in the country are in urgent need of assistance. More than one million people have been forced to flee their homes, many of them staying in collective centers, with the majority of the displaced population being women and children.
The operation is being coordinated through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, “which guarantees a coordinated and efficient response,” according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The supplies will be transported from Spain by sea, departing from Valencia in two shipments scheduled for early May and arriving in Beirut at the end of the month.
In addition, Spain will complement this intervention with a second shipment of kitchen kits through the international humanitarian corridor coordinated by Jordan, which will expedite delivery on the ground via land transport from the region.
