Nine years into the Syria conflict, Lebanon remains at the forefront of one of the worst humanitarian crises. The economic downturn, steep inflation, COVID-19 and finally the Beirut blast have pushed vulnerable communities in Lebanon - including Syrian refugees - to the brink, with thousands of families sinking further into poverty.
The Government of Lebanon (GoL) estimates that the country hosts 1.5 million1 of the 6.6 million Syrians who have fled the conflict since 2011 (including 879,529 registered with UNHCR as of end of September 2020 ). The Syrian refugee population in Lebanon remains one of the largest concentration of refugees per capita in the world.
The 2020 Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon (VASyR) was the eighth annual survey assessing the situation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon to identify changes and trends in their vulnerabilities. Given the COVID-19 pandemic in Lebanon, most assessments and other activities requiring in person visits were either cancelled or postponed. Considering the prolonged socio-economic status in Lebanon and COVID-19, it was crucial to provide needs-based estimates on Syrian refugees in the country. Thus, the VASyR 2020 was one of the few assessments that were conducted face-to-face; the implementation was accompanied by a comprehensive protocol to ensure the safety of families and field workers. The criticality of conducting the VASyR 2020 was to provide insights about Syrian refugees impacted by the political and economic crisis that hit Lebanon in late 2019 and by the COVID-19 outbreak.