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Arsal: a short history of refugee influx and response in a marginalized Lebanese border town*

Arsal essentials

The border municipality of Arsal, situated in North Bekaa, is host to some 32,000 Syrian refugees- the second largest figure of any cadaster in Lebanon. Both Arsalis and refugees live under difficult conditions. The town has a history of being marginalized from investment and public services, and has been affected by the Syrian conflict more than any other municipality in the country.

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UNHCR, the environment and Syrian refugees in the Bekaa valley in Lebanon

The management of solid waste is one of the foremost environmental and public policy problems affecting Lebanon – so much so, that in 2015 the mounting presence of garbage on Beirut’s streets sparked one of the biggest series of public demonstrations since the civil war. Since 2017, UNHCR together with partners is heavily involved in supporting Lebanese municipalities in the Bekaa valley devising and implementing integrated Solid Waste Management (SWM) strategies. Activities in this sense exist also in the North of the country. Now, why is UNHCR, not known as a development organization, so invested in SWM issues in Lebanon?

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