Executive Summary
This paper synthesizes findings from a multi-year research agenda conducted by the CAMEALEON Consortium, examining how different layers of response—state-run social protection, humanitarian cash and voucher assistance (CVA), and informal support systems—have functioned in times of peace and under stress during the escalation of hostilities. Lebanon’s social protection system remains fragmented, underdeveloped, and heavily reliant on external financing. Despite recent progress, including the adoption of the National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS) and the introduction of the National Disability Allowance (NDA), coverage remains limited and uneven. The system continues to rely predominantly on poverty-targeted programmes underpinned by proxy means testing, which are administratively complex, costly to maintain, and poorly suited to dynamic crisis contexts. As official development assistance declines sharply, the sustainability of donor-funded social assistance and humanitarian safety nets is increasingly uncertain.
