Highlights
This document is a UN Women Lebanon Rapid Gender Analysis examining the gendered impacts of displacement outside collective shelters following the escalation of hostilities on March 2, 2026. It draws on qualitative interviews, consultations with women-led organizations and front-line actors, and secondary data to analyse how displacement is affecting women, men, girls and boys under dispersed living arrangements. It highlights how conditions such as household separation, overcrowding, insecure housing and economic strain are deepening gender inequalities, particularly through increased unpaid care responsibilities, heightened protection risks, and constrained access to assistance.
The analysis identifies population groups facing heightened risks, including female-headed households, adolescent girls, older persons, persons with disabilities and refugee and migrant women, and examines sectoral implications across food security, shelter, livelihoods, health, WASH, education, protection and access to assistance.
It concludes with operational recommendations to improve targeting, outreach and service delivery for populations outside collective shelters and to strengthen engagement with women-led organizations to inform the humanitarian response.
This Gender and Disability Alert, developed by UN Women Lebanon in partnership with the Lebanese Union for People with Physical Disabilities (LUPD) and Trócaire, with the generous support of the Government of Australia and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, examines the impact of Lebanon’s 2026 conflict and large-scale displacement on persons with disabilities, with particular attention to women and girls with disabilities. Drawing on humanitarian data, government sources, rapid assessments, testimonies and evidence from Organizations of Persons with Disabilities, it identifies gaps in data, accessible shelter, protection, services and humanitarian assistance. It also presents recommendations for a disability-inclusive, gender-responsive and rights-based humanitarian response.
Featured video
This video was produced as part of UN Women’s response to the ongoing conflict in Lebanon. UN Women is on the ground, not only supporting women and girls through its partners and life-saving interventions, but also documenting their experiences and amplifying their voices.
In this video, Danielle Hamze Sleiman, a 49-year-old French teacher and mother of three, returns to the ruins of her home in Bednayel, in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, after it was destroyed by an Israeli strike on 3 March 2026. Through her testimony, she shares the impact of displacement, loss, and uncertainty, while reflecting the resilience of women affected by the crisis.
By capturing and sharing these stories, UN Women ensures that the voices of women are heard and remain at the center of humanitarian response and recovery efforts.
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