UK Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer announced £20.5 million in new funding for Lebanon’s humanitarian crisis response during a one-day visit to the country on April 16, 2026, according to a press release by the Government of United Kingdom in Beirut. The funding brings total UK support since March to £30 million, directed at displaced and conflict-affected families, including those in hard-to-reach areas. During the visit, Falconer also reiterated the UK’s call for a ceasefire in Lebanon.
The announcement came as Lebanon continues to face displacement on a large scale, with over one million civilians displaced due to daily Israeli strikes, according to British Ambassador Hamish Cowell. Falconer also reaffirmed the UK’s continued support to the Lebanese Armed Forces since 2009, now totaling over £120 million. The minister met with President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Speaker Nabih Berri, and Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji during his visit.
The £20.5 million package will fund several targeted initiatives. It will support the Government of Lebanon’s Shock Responsive Safety Net to deliver emergency cash assistance to conflict-affected Lebanese families, while also supporting Syrian refugees through the World Food Programme. Funding will also go to the Lebanese Red Cross via the British Red Cross, strengthening frontline response across the Disaster Risk Management Unit, Urban Search and Rescue, and Emergency Medical Services. Through UNICEF, the package supports integrated emergency education, child protection, and Gender-Based Violence services for women, girls, and boys in shelters, temporary learning spaces, and Makani centres. The ICRC Flash Appeal will also receive support to ensure assistance reaches people in hard-to-reach areas in southern Lebanon.
Falconer visited the Furn El Chebbak public school in Beirut, now a collective shelter hosting displaced families, alongside Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Rima Karami and UNICEF Representative Marcoluigi Corsi. He heard directly from families facing multiple displacements and children experiencing a seventh year of disrupted access to education. At the Grand Serail, he met the Government’s Disaster Risk Management Unit and expressed admiration for healthcare and first responders. He stated that attacks on staff performing these vital roles are unacceptable and that both must be protected by all sides. Falconer said:
“People in Lebanon are yet again living through a devastating conflict that neither they nor their government has chosen, with displacement stripping families of security and dignity.”
Falconer expressed support for recent direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon as the best path to durable peace and security for both sides. Ambassador Cowell noted that the UK calls for a ceasefire and welcomes the talks taking place. The minister stated that the UK will keep working with the Government of Lebanon, local and international partners to deliver aid and pursue a durable resolution. Falconer added:
“Conflict in the Middle East is benefitting no one, and the UK remains focused on working with partners to de-escalate and drive forward a political solution.” The UK’s commitment of £30 million to date reflects its stated ongoing focus on supporting stability in Lebanon.
