Two months on from the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor for global energy flows, shocks have rippled through economies worldwide.
Lebanon continues to confront a massive humanitarian crisis, despite the entry into effect of a 10-day ceasefire on 17 April, with hundreds of thousands of people remaining internally displaced and in urgent need of assistance.
During his recent visit to Lebanon on 31 March, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, engaged Government officials, first responders and affected families impacted by the escalation.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today scaled up conditional cash assistance to support reactivation of local crop production by an additional 1 000 farmers in the Gaza Strip.
The cost of living continues to outpace income growth; despite policy measures seeking to enhance purchasing power, current wage levels meet only around one‑third of basic household needs.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited Lebanon in a solidarity mission, highlighting the severity of the crisis and calling for protection of civilians and increased international support. Together with the Government of Lebanon, he launched 2026 Flash Appeal.
116,900 IDPs remain internally displaced across 165 communities in Aleppo and Al-Hasakeh governorates. Critical infrastructure failures continue to impede basic services, with frequent electricity outages affecting water stations, hospitals and referral pathways.
With the start of Ramadan, while most items are currently available in the markets some fresh items are becoming less available showing the limitations of supply and high demand, and resultant price increases.
In January, WFP delivered assistance to 3.5 million people, with total transfers amounting to 13,700 mt of food and USD 23 million cash-based transfers (CBT).
The situation in Aleppo, Al-Hasakeh and Ar-Raqqa governorates has largely stabilized in recent days, following the agreement announced on 30 January 2026. Active hostilities have subsided, bringing a greater sense of calm, even as localized incidents, precautionary security measures, and community concerns persist in many areas.
After 14 years of conflict and recurrent climate shocks, the agriculture sector has been among the hardest hit in the Syrian Arab Republic, with severe damage to productive assets and widespread disruption to food production.
As part of its economic and fiscal reforms, Syria introduced measures to support the industrial sector, such as fuel and electricity subsidies, trade facilitation, and increased the ATM withdrawal limits, while the Central Bank is considering issuing a new national currency and removing two zeros from the current one to restore monetary stability, combat inflation, and signal a new economic phase.
WFP is working with key partners to improve food security through the THABAT project, an initiative funded by the Sudan Transition and Recovery Support (STARS) multi-donor trust fund.
Gaza Strip With the beginning of the month of November, and the ceasefire entering its fifth week, there was an improvement in the prices of basic food commodities across all governorates in the Gaza Strip, with decreases in the prices of vegetables.
The Government of Lebanon is an important partner of WFP in the implementation of its CSP. In particular, the evaluation will seek to engage with the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Economy and Trade, and the Ministry of Energy and Water, National Disaster Risk Management Unit, as well as relevant municipalities.
Syria stands at a pivotal juncture offering new opportunities but facing enduring challenges. While normalization and sanctions relief are underway, more than a decade of conflict has left public systems deeply weakened, demanding sustained international engagement to rebuild institutional and human capacity.
Supported business-to-business linkages with 40 cooperatives through 15 promotional campaigns; and established a brand and two farmers’ markets, run by the Palestinian Agricultural Cooperatives Union (PACU), where the cooperatives can sell their items directly to West Bank consumers.
In 2025, over 16.5 million Syrians are in need of humanitarian assistance, including 2.5 million displaced returnees who have lost their homes and livelihoods.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) today released new geospatial analysis revealing extensive and worsening damage to the agricultural sector in the Gaza Strip.
One year since the hostilities escalated in Lebanon on 23 September 2024, the security situation remains volatile. Over 150,000 people remain internally displaced from their villages, struggling with rising rents and economic hardship.
