Overview

Despite a lack of up-to-date and reliable data, it is widely recognized that Lebanon is a major country of emigration. Accordingly, if effectively managed – particularly through active engagement of the sizeable Lebanese diaspora – migration has the potential to contribute positively to Lebanon's development. To this end, IOM continues to work in partnership with the relevant government entities and civil society in Lebanon.

Lebanon is also host to sizeable displaced Palestinian and Iraqi communities. Amongst the Iraqi displaced, overall living conditions continue to deteriorate and initial resources are incrementally depleted; accordingly, a vast number remain in need of urgent assistance. IOM has commissioned valuable research in this field. In follow up, IOM has contributed to the humanitarian response through the provision of psychosocial assistance and development of livelihood support programmes. Lebanon is gradually recovering from the 2006 conflict as well as localized violence; IOM is supporting the government and civil society in reconstruction and community-stabilization initiatives.

Office

Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock Street, Ramlet El-Baida, Beirut, Lebanon

Movement, emergency and post-crisis migration management

IOM continues to assist with all travel arrangements and airport exit procedures for refugees resettling to the United States of America (USA), Canada, Australia and Scandinavian countries including family reunification, in addition to the voluntary return of country nationals. These are funded through the respective governments.

IOM Beirut has also provided livelihood assistance to selected vulnerable families identified in rural and post-conflict areas, including equipment and replacement of assets for those families in order to ameliorate their living conditions and increase their chance of having a sustainable source of income.

Main Projects

  • Resettlement, including pre-departure medical screening and cultural orientation
  • Livelihood Support to vulnerable communities in rural and post-conflict areas
Migration Health

IOM has launched in early 2009 the Psychosocial Expert Team (PET) project in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs and financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Psychosocial Expert Team, attached to the Ministry of Social Affairs but with inter-ministerial functions, consists of six professionals working in the field of psychosocial assistance, selected from the first generation of graduates of the Executive Professional Masters in "Psychosocial Animation in War-Torn Societies" that was implemented by IOM in collaboration with the Lebanese University from September 2007 to April 2008.

The first activity of the psychosocial expert team was the mapping of existing psychosocial and mental health services provided by Ministries, Municipalities, NGOs, and private practitioners in Lebanon. A database of the active organizations in all the regions in Lebanon has been constructed and is available electronically (www.psychosocialet.net). The PET delivered training to Social Development Centers and NGO directors in the different regions. The team also conducted training for school counselors and health counselors at the Lebanese Ministry of Education.

Main Projects

  • Psychosocial Expert Team

Donor

Government of Italy

Migration Development

IOM Beirut has also been involved in several initiatives to mitigate the impact of conflict and displacement in Lebanon. In partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Lebanon, IOM selected 64 youths from all Lebanese governorates to participate in the first Lebanese National Youth Parliament. The overall objective of this project is to promote the ongoing post-conflict recovery process in Lebanon by stimulating and initiating the active participation of youth in democratic decision-making and helping youth acquire leadership, negotiation and cooperation skills, showing the youth that they can make a difference in their communities.

Main Project

  • The First Lebanese National Youth Parliament

Donor

Regulating Migration

IOM Beirut has organized within regional programmes a series of training workshops and training of trainers including middle to high level policy makers from various ministries and law enforcement agencies. Key topics included international migration law, the domestic legal framework, the differences between trafficking and smuggling, interview techniques, investigation options/operational planning and investigation models.

Main Projects

  • Multi-Action Programme for Prevention, Protection and Assistance to Iraqi Victims of Trafficking
  • Building Governmental and Non-governmental Capacity in Managing Iraqi Migration Flows and Safeguarding Migrants’ Rights in Countries Affected by the Ongoing Crisis
  • Empowering Government and Civil Society to Effectively Manage Iraqi Migration Flows and to Protect Migrants in Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey

Donor

Migration policy and research

In order to address the socio-economic needs of people in post-conflict settings, IOM carried out an assessment targeting 2,000 Lebanese households in three districts in Northern Lebanon characterized by long decades of deprivation and/or surrounding post-conflict settings; 1,000 Palestinian households in four camps in Southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley and 1,000 Iraqi households in South Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley as well. The assessment mainly aimed at:

Gauging the perception of households on the needs of their communities in terms of basic socio-economic needs (both host and refugees communities)

  • Listing the barriers and constraints to access services in the area
  • Assessing the cost of alternatives
  • Obtaining rates of basic socio-economic indicators, and
  • Assessing the need and possibility of implementing development projects in remote peripheral communities in Lebanon.

The assessment was published and used as a basis for humanitarian assistance programmes that IOM conducted together with other civil society partners in Lebanon.

Main Projects

  • Assessing Basic Socio-Economic Indicators in Vulnerable Communities: RAP for Planning Development

Donor

  • Government of Greece
Contact Information

International Organization for Migration
Jnah, Near Rafic Hariri General Hospital
Moubarak Building, 5th floor
Beirut

Tel: +961 1 841 701
Fax: +961 1 841 705
Email: iombeirut@iom.int