The fund will support Canada’s Humanitarian Coalition, bringing together leading humanitarian organizations, among which CARE International
Today in Beirut, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. François-Philippe Champagne, announced that the Government of Canada will match, dollar for dollar, the full $8 million in donations made through the Lebanese Matching Fund as a result of the Canadians’ generosity. These funds will help provide essential food, water, health and other critical humanitarian needs.Canada will transfer the funds to the Humanitarian Coalition, which will in turn allocate the funds among its members based on criteria such as their capacity and presence on the ground.
This announcement was made on a field visit, during which Mr. Champagne met in one of the heavily destroyed areas of Beirut, with member organizations of Humanitarian Coalition, namely CARE International, Islamic Relief and World Vision.
During an unprepared press conference, with the Canadian Foreign Affairs minister, CARE Lebanon Country Director, Bujar Hoxha spoke on behalf of the Humanitarian Coalition.
He said, “I would like to thank Mr. Champagne for the support and the generosity that the government of Canada has shown to Lebanon and Beirut during this crisis. The Canadian has shown quite a lot of compassion and generosity towards the Lebanese people and towards the Beirut society.”
“As Humanitarian Coalition, we were there as of the very first hours with the local society initiative and we were impressed with the youth, the girls, the women who have taken volunteer actions to clean the city and to provide life-saving assistance,” he added.
“We were building our response with the local civil society organizations; most probably the recovery will require us to look beyond the Beirut blast because this country is facing multiple crises so it is great to have allies like the government of Canada. Because we have to address the socio-economic crisis, we have to continue to support the refugees which are 20 per cent of the population in Lebanon and we still have to fight the COVID-19 pandemic with a lot of hospital support,” he said.
Mr. Champagne continued, “Canada, through Lebanon Matching Fund launched on August 8th, supports Humanitarian Coalition activities. The member organizations’ fast and efficient response as per international standards, along with the Canadians’ support, is ongoing to reach all the people affected by the Beirut blast.”
“Through the Lebanon Matching Fund, Canada is making a meaningful contribution to the humanitarian effort on the ground in Beirut, which will help ensure critical aid goes to those who need it most. I commend the individual Canadians who donated so generously to support the Lebanese people in a time of great crisis,” he added.
On August 8, 2020, the Government of Canada launched the Lebanon Matching Fund, announcing that it would match up to $2 million in donations. This amount was quickly multiplied, and a new matching amount of $8 million was established.
Canada’s Humanitarian Coalition brings together leading humanitarian organizations to provide Canadians with a simple and effective way to help during international humanitarian disasters.
The Humanitarian Coalition members are Action Against Hunger, Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Canadian Lutheran World Relief, CARE Canada, Doctors of the World, Humanity & Inclusion, Islamic Relief Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam Québec, Plan International Canada, Save the Children Canada and World Vision Canada. All are recognized and trusted international partners.Members of the Humanitarian Coalition actively participate in established UN-led humanitarian coordination processes to ensure that aid is disbursed effectively.
Below is the Facebook link to the press conference