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.