Municipal Guide: Successful Municipal Strategies to Respond to the Syria Refugee Crisis

In Lebanon, municipalities are the frontline response to refugee and host community needs. Mayors, vice-mayors and municipal staff are challenged daily to meet the increasing requests of their constituents with scarce resources, while simultaneously remedying the effects of the Syria refugee crisis. Faced with issues such as job competition, rising food and fuel prices and higher housing costs and strained municipal systems with limited capacity, municipalities are trying their best to meet the growing challenges. Although the central government issued a decision mandating that municipalities take actions to respond to the Syria refugee crisis, little support or guidance has been provided to municipalities to help them cope with these issues. Tasked with registering new arrivals, maintaining security, ensuring adequate water and sanitation services, providing shelter, as well as mediating community tensions, municipalities are struggling to cope with the increasing pressure on their communities and resources. However, there are bright spots and success stories on how municipalities are responding to the Syria refugee crisis.

Mercy Corps, through funding from the British Embassy in Beirut, along with twelve municipalities joined together to share, exchange and discuss successful and effective responses that municipalities have implemented to manage the Syria refugee crisis. While limited financial resources continues to be a primary issue for municipalities in responding to the crisis, there are still innovative and exemplary ways that municipalities have responded, which are highlighted in this municipal guide. This guide will be circulated and shared to other municipalities to serve as a guide to responding to the Syria refugee crisis.