As the Middle East crisis enters into its second month, the toll on women and girls is reaching catastrophic levels. In Lebanon alone, more than 1.2 million people have been forced from their homes, among them an estimated 13,500 pregnant women — including 1,700 in southern Lebanon now cut off from essential care. With violence surging, health facilities under attack, and basic services collapsing, their very survival hangs in the balance. UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is working urgently with the Government of Lebanon and local partners to deliver life-saving assistance to displaced families, host communities, and those in hard-to-reach areas.
Of those displaced, over 620,000 are women and girls—nearly a quarter of all women and girls in Lebanon. They are facing escalating risks of gender-based violence, exploitation, and isolation, often in overcrowded or unsafe shelters. Women and girls with disabilities are particularly vulnerable, as most shelters remain inaccessible and lack inclusive water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities.
“Women and girls are enduring relentless fear and loss— giving birth under fire, facing violence in displacement, and struggling to survive without the most basic necessities,” stated Anandita Philipose, UNFPA Representative in Lebanon. Their health and protection cannot be an afterthought; it must be at the heart of the humanitarian response.”
UNFPA is on the front lines of the response, deploying nine mobile health units and supporting 55 health facilities to deliver emergency reproductive health care, clinical management of rape, psychosocial support; distributing dignity kits containing hygiene and menstrual supplies, as well as baby kits of essentials for pregnant women and new mothers. To overcome disruptions to global transport routes, UNFPA and its partners are mapping alternative supply chains – the European Union Airbridge -and repositioning critical medical and protection supplies to ensure uninterrupted delivery of aid.
Yet, despite the scale of the crisis, UNFPA’s flash appeal remains critically underfunded. Only 12 per cent of the required $12 million has been received—jeopardizing the continuation of essential sexual and reproductive health and protection services beyond mid-April. Immediate funding is vital to prevent further suffering. Without swift action, thousands of women and girls will lose access to safe childbirth, emergency care, and protection from violence.
Every moment counts. The world must act now to uphold the health, dignity, and rights of women and girls in Lebanon and across the Middle East — and to end attacks on health care and humanitarian personnel that are robbing them of their right to safety and survival.
