Hajjar: Disbursing Aid in Syria to Encourage Refugees to Return

Minister of Social Affairs in the caretaker government, Hector Hajjar, mentioned in a press conference regarding the dollarization of financial aid for Syrian displaced persons that "with the worsening crisis and the devaluation of the currency, we began holding monthly meetings at the ministry, which include the UN Refugee Agency and the United Nations. We received a request to dollarize the aid on the grounds that it is difficult to secure large amounts of Lebanese pounds." He explained that "there were disagreements during the negotiations, as the UN Refugee Agency demanded that a Syrian family receive $40 and $20 per individual, which we rejected for several reasons, including that this amount is greater than the salary of a first-category employee in the public sector, and we rejected it because the Lebanese public opinion opposes the Syrian displacement to Lebanon, which compares the assistance provided to Lebanon and to the displaced persons." Hajjar affirmed, "We are working to facilitate the return of the displaced, and to provide aid in Syria to encourage them to return."