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(1/5) #Lebanon has been in lockdown for nearly a month. But the government has yet to distribute assistance to families in need. A week ago, Social Affairs Minister launched a plan to provide 400,000 LBP (≈$140) to 187,000 families. This aid was supposed to be disbursed today.
(2/5) The govt discovered "errors" in the lists of families, so they asked army to recheck the lists. Social Affairs minister had promised that selection criteria would be transparent & applied by an algorithm so not susceptible to political manipulation. http://nna-leb.gov.lb/ar/show-news/473410/
(3/5) But politicians from different parties have criticized the criteria by which families were chosen, delaying the process. Shameful that politicians are capitalizing on people's desperation to further their patronage networks. https://www.vdlnews.com/news/16618
(4/5) Last week, @hrw warned that more than a million in #Lebanon are at risk of going hungry due to pandemic-related lockdown measures unless the government urgently puts in place a robust, coordinated plan to provide assistance. https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/08/lebanon-direct-covid-19-assistance-hardest-hit
(5/5) As families face unprecedented economic hardship, the #Lebanon govt should prioritize ppl's basic needs over political maneuvering:
- disburse funds now, verify later
- clear, public selection criteria
- forgive utility bills
- moratorium on evictions
- disburse funds now, verify later
- clear, public selection criteria
- forgive utility bills
- moratorium on evictions
