The Government of Austria has contributed EUR 1,000,000 towards UN Women in Lebanon’s humanitarian efforts to support women and girls in South Lebanon impacted by the escalation in hostilities across the Blue Line. The financial assistance will be channeled into a project implemented by UN Women to enhance the resilience, self-reliance and leadership in humanitarian action of internally displaced women through access to comprehensive livelihood and protection services.

The Women Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) is launching its fourth round of funding in Lebanon. The WPHF call for proposals will be focused on a) the protection of women and girls, and b) Peacebuilding & Recovery. This call for proposals also provides an opportunity for civil society organizations working on the implementation of commitments related to Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action (WPSHA) in Lebanon to apply for institutional funding that will be used to strengthen and sustain their capacities.

In 2023, Suzan joined UN Women's established community kitchen within the Beddawi camp as an outreach worker, raising awareness on cooking on a budget and providing hot meals to families living in vulnerability as part of UN Women’s “Humanitarian Assistance to Women by Women: Women at Work to Reduce Period Poverty and Food Insecurity in the Lebanon Crisis” project, which aims to provide women with cash-for-work opportunities through the production and distribution of hot meals to families in need.

Today on 8 March, International Women’s Day, the United Nations rallies behind the call to “Invest in women: Accelerate progress”, aligned with the priority theme for the upcoming 68th Commission on the Status of Women CSW68.

On the occasion of International Women's Day, the Government of Australia renewed its commitment to gender equality in Lebanon through signature of a new agreement with UN Women Lebanon worth 1,500,000 Australian dollar to extend humanitarian assistance to over 4,300 women, girls, men and boys from diverse backgrounds across three governorates in Lebanon.

To mark International Women’s Day 2024, UN Women and the embassies of Finland, Norway and Switzerland in Lebanon, joined forces to showcase the pioneering roles of women fostering peace and security across Lebanon and to discuss the relevance, challenges and progress in implementing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Lebanon, in particular amid ongoing crises and conflict. The event also sheds light on the situation of women in the South of Lebanon, their needs, and their roles in the humanitarian relief response.

Wadad Halawani is a civil activist and founder of the Committee of the Families of the Kidnapped and Missing in Lebanon. She has also been appointed a member of the National Commission for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared Persons in Lebanon which was established by law 105/1980. As a result of Lebanon’s 1975-1990 Civil War, it is estimated that over 17,000 people, over 90 percent of which were men, were missing or forcibly disappeared. Most were never heard of again, including Wadad’s husband, who went missing in 1982. Since his disappearance, Wadad has made it her mission to unite, amplify, and advocate for the voices of women, families, and victims of the kidnapped and missing from across Lebanon.

Cosette Nakhle, 49, is a social worker and Head of the Local Development Bureau at the municipality of Chiyah. Through certified training provided via the support of UN Women and its partners, the Professional Mediation Center (CPM) at the University of Saint-Joseph and International Alert, Cosette has made it her mission to promote peace in her community through her newly acquired mediation skills.

Tala, 46, from Shalfeh, Tripoli, Lebanon, is a survivor of gender-based violence and has experienced feeling unsafe in both the public and private spheres. However, through self-defense at Markazouna Center, she is turning her fear into strength, which has allowed her to become a pillar and advocate for ending violence against women and girls in her community.

Rajaa Ibrahim Zaarour is an inspiring example of strength and transformation in the face of adversity. Rajaa's narrative unfolds against the backdrop of familial responsibility as she dedicates herself to caring for her 88-year-old father. She participated in a community kitchen supported by UN Women where she received cash-for-work for 60 days.

The United Nations (UN) system in Lebanon in partnership with the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) have come together to kick off the international campaign on 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence to galvanize efforts to prevent and ultimately end the scourge of violence against women and girls, which is escalating amid the current multi-layered crisis.

Hwaida Turk, PhD, is the first woman interim Mohafez (governor) in Lebanon. She was appointed on 17 July 2023 to the southern Governorate of Nabatieh. She spoke to UN Women about the recent escalation of tensions between Israel and Palestine that have displaced nearly 20,000 people from South Lebanon, and how she is handling the humanitarian response.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Women, together with the Government of Canada, partnered with the Arab Institute for Women (AiW) at the Lebanese American University (LAU) and launched the "Women in Leadership" project at the LAU premises.

UN Women Lebanon launched its first podcast series “UN Women Podcasts” to amplify the voices of women and girls in Lebanon and celebrate their remarkable achievements in multiple fields and the challenges that lie ahead.

Lebanon has witnessed since the civil war (1975-1990) a series of conflicts that fueled tensions. This violent past has gone undealt with. To address the wounds of violence in Lebanon, a UN-supported program entitled "Dealing with the Past: Memory for the Future" works on fostering cross-community dialogue and peace and seeks to promote and support reconciliation, re-establishing dignity for victims of war as well as restoring peace and preventing conflicts.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS), the Government of Japan, and the Municipality of Tripoli inaugurated the recently rehabilitated and reactivated “Markazouna”, a Multipurpose Community Centre in Shalfeh, Tripoli.

In a calm neighborhood nestled between the busy streets of Mar Mikhael in Beirut, a heartwarming haven known as ‘Access Kitchen’ flourished. It is Lebanon’s first community kitchen led and run by a group of women with disabilities. It provides income-generating jobs for 58 women and offers daily 138 hot meals to vulnerable people in nearby areas.

After feeling unsafe at work, Janine El Yakhneh, a 20-year-old nursing student in Lebanon joined self-defense classes to transform her fear into empowerment, strengthen her confidence, and learn how to respond effectively to gender-based violence and harassment.

UN Women in partnership with Acted and local community-based organization Nusaned and with support from the Government of Japan inaugurated the ‘Nasma*’ menstrual hygiene pad production facility in Beirut.  

Safa, 25, was born and raised in the Ein El Helweh camp in Saida, Lebanon. She knows the community by the back of her hand, but only recently did she recognize that her neighbours were suffering poverty and food insecurity in silence. Since this reckoning, Safa’s passion and drive to make a change in her community was ignited, where she decided to apply for the community worker position in a newly established community kitchen in the camp led by INITIATE, Women’s Program Association (WPA) and UN Women, and generously supported by the Government of Japan.