Facing pushback from Lebanese officials, UN walks back plan to give aid to Syrian refugees in USD

By ABBY SEWELL
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — The United Nations has announced that it will suspend a plan to begin making aid payments to Syrian refugees in crisis-wracked Lebanon in dollars, after pushback from Lebanese officials. Lebanon has been in the throes of a severe financial crisis since 2019. Since the collapse of Lebanon’s currency, U.N. agencies had been paying assistance to refugees in Lebanese pounds, but due to “the rapid depreciation of the pound,” U.N. officials said on Wednesday that they would start giving refugees in Lebanon the option to receive payments in dollars. However, on Saturday, the U.N. said it had suspended the dollar payments at the request of Lebanese officials, who say payment in dollars would incentivize refugees to stay in Lebanon.