SIDON, Lebanon: Facing an influx of those fleeing the increasingly bitter conflict in its Syria, Beirut is set to host a major conference on Syrian refugees in Lebanon in January. The meeting, dubbed the “First Conference on Syrian Refugees in Lebanon: Issues and Solutions,” was organized by three aid organizations: the Union of Aid Organizations for Syrian Refugees in Lebanon, the International Islamic Charitable Commission of Kuwait, and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth in Saudi Arabia.

 

It will be held under the patronage of Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour, who is set to speak at the event at Hamra’s Coral Suites. Also on the bill for the Jan. 18-20 conference is Sidon MP Bahia Hariri. The conference’s tentative agenda and statement of purpose, obtained by The Daily Star, says organizers were prompted to launch the effort by a variety of factors, including poor socioeconomic and health conditions for refugees, the fact that the Higher Relief Commission has ceased providing aid, insufficient medical care and the state’s decision not to establish camps to shelter the refugees. [Link]