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Visiting Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Tuesday that the Syrian crisis has inflicted a huge burden on Lebanon, and that Australia will continue its support to Lebanon on the Syrian refugee issue.
"My visit is to verify in person the effects of the Syrian crisis on neighboring countries, including Lebanon," Bishop said. "The international community has to be aware of the tremendous pressure weighed over Lebanon due to the burden of the refugees."
In addition to the humanitarian support already provided to Syria, Australia announced on Monday to offer an additional aid worth 20 million U.S. dollars to the UN initiative "No Lost Generation" which aims to support the children among Syrian refugees who lack access to education.
"We do not want to lose a new generation of young people, and this assistance is added to a 110 million worth aid announced previously," Bishop said.
Earlier in April the UN refugee agency and the Lebanese authorities said that the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon had surpassed the one-million benchmark, cautioning that the number will cause "a rapid depletion of the resources and the capabilities of the host community to the point of collapse."
Lebanon has called on the international community to help it cope with the influx of refugees. With the United Nations' appealing for help, some 1.89 billion dollars has been pledged, but Lebanon has so far received only about 242 million dollars.
