Research on Diaspora Engagement in Humanitarian Response and Economic Recovery in Selected Areas of Lebanon

Executive summary

This report focuses on diaspora engagement in economic recovery and humanitarian response in North and East Lebanon. It captures perspectives from Lebanese communities and, to a lesser extent, Syrian refugees in the Bekaa Valley and the surroundings of Tripoli, as well as from the Lebanese-Canadian diaspora supporting them. The study complements and enriches findings from a first phase of research (Phase I), outlined in a Danish Refugee Council (DRC) report published in April 2023 and entitled “Mapping and Analysis of Diaspora Business Engagement Models in Five Villages of Lebanon of Lebanon.” Phase I explored how the diaspora contributes to local economies and job creation in communities around Tripoli and the Bekaa Valley.

The research revealed that the diaspora frequently serves as a primary response to humanitarian needs through both individual and community support. Phase II, outlined in the present report, has the objective of consolidating the knowledge base developed in Phase I, by examining the findings’ general validity with other communities in the same target areas, and exploring the perspectives of the diaspora end.