Sec. 6. Authorization of humanitarian and development assistance for Lebanon
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It is the sense of Congress that— the people of Lebanon have hosted an estimated 1,500,000 Syrian refugees since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, sheltering them from the brutality of the Assad regime and its Russian and Iranian enablers; the chronic nature of the Syrian conflict and the inability of Syrian refugees to safely return home has strained the Lebanese economy and the services provided by the Government of Lebanon; the people of Lebanon have been severely harmed by the combination of the Lebanese financial crisis and the Port of Beirut explosion on August 4, 2020, making them even more vulnerable during the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah; and more than 1,000,000 civilians in Lebanon have been internally displaced due to the recent fighting with insufficient time to develop a coordinated humanitarian response.
The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development and the Secretary of State should continue to support humanitarian and development assistance for displaced individuals and host communities in Lebanon, including— health assistance, including logistical and technical assistance to hospitals, ambulances, and health clinics in affected communities, and the provision of basic public health commodities; services, such as medicines and medical supplies and equipment; assistance to provide— protection, food, and shelter; and water, sanitation, and hygiene (collectively referred to as WASH ); and technical assistance to ensure health, food, and commodities are appropriately selected, procured, targeted, monitored, and distributed.
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall submit a strategy to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives that describes— how the United States, working with relevant foreign governments, multilateral organizations, and nongovernmental organizations, will address the humanitarian situation in Lebanon; diplomatic efforts carried out by the United States Government to encourage strategic burden sharing and the coordination of donations with international donors, including foreign governments and multilateral organizations, to advance the provision of humanitarian assistance to the people of Lebanon, especially internally displaced people; and how the United States Government is— mitigating risk of diversion or benefit to non-state armed groups in Lebanon, particularly Hezbollah; and ensuring effective delivery of assistance.