BEIRUT, Dec 3 (NNN-NNA) – The UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), announced yesterday, the launch of a new national disability allowance for 20,000 persons with disabilities in Lebanon, in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the European Union.
According to a UNICEF statement, the new initiative, launched on the eve of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which has been annually observed on Dec 3, will provide direct income support for people with disabilities living in Lebanon, on a monthly basis.
The initiative aims at supporting Lebanese and non-Lebanese, by identifying them from existing databases, as well as, future applications across the country, according to the UNICEF.
Yukie Mokuo, UNICEF representative in Lebanon, said, the country’s dire situation requires an urgent scale-up of social assistance.
“The most pressing action at this stage is immediate protection for the most vulnerable,” she said, adding, the initiative will run alongside UNICEF’s current Child Grant programme, Haddi.
Alessia Squarcella, deputy head of cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Lebanon, calls for the establishment of a social protection strategy, to allow people with vulnerabilities, disabilities, and other forms of special needs, a fighting chance in life.
Ruba Jaradat, ILO regional director for Arab States, said, promoting an equitable social protection system in Lebanon, that is accessible to all people throughout their lives, is crucial in addressing the crisis’s consequences.– NNN-NNA
