Project profile — Expanding the Social Safety Net

• Lebanon (100.00%)

• Multi-sector/General environmental protection: Household food security programmes (43072) (100.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Disability (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)
• Nutrition (not targeted)
• Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) (not targeted)

The project aims to enhance food security and the social safety net for the most vulnerable Lebanese families impacted by the explosions in Beirut. It will also help address the economic crisis for those who can no longer meet their daily food needs. Project activities include: (1) providing monthly food assistance to families via a food e-card; and (2) providing technical assistance to enhance governance and gender-sensitivity of Lebanon’s national social assistance program.

The expected outcomes for this project include: 1) Maintained or improved consumption of sufficient, nutritious foods by vulnerable Lebanese households, including female headed households; 2) Enhanced responsiveness of the national social assistance program to the needs of vulnerable Lebanese households, including female headed households.

Results achieved as of December 2023 include: (1) provided food cash assistance to 74,300 households of 412,035 individuals (208,694 women) through Lebanon’s National Poverty Targeting Program. This led to an increase in individuals reporting an acceptable Food Consumption Score, from 40% in 2022 to 75% in 2023; (2) provided training 600 Ministry of Social Affairs staff on identifying and responding to gender and protection issues. This included conducting a national poverty targeting program gender study to enhance the program’s responsiveness to the needs of vulnerable households, particularly women-headed households; and (3) provided technical assistance to the Ministry of Social Affairs to integrate the National Poverty Targeting Program through Lebanon’s Emergency Social Safety Net program.

• Proactive disclosure