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Over half of Lebanon's population trapped in poverty: UN agency
By:Xinhua
update:August 20,2020
BEIRUT, Aug.20,2020 -- Over 55 percent of Lebanon's population is now trapped in poverty and struggling for bare necessities, almost double last year's rate which was 28 percent, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) reported on Wednesday.
 
"Extreme poverty has registered a threefold increase from 8 percent in 2019 to 23 percent in 2020 in Lebanon," according to ESCWA.
 
It added that Lebanon is crippled by the impact of multiple shocks which have exhausted its economy and caused an unprecedented increase in its poverty rate.
 
The report indicates that the total number of the poor among the Lebanese population is currently about 2.7 million.
 
"There is thus a significant erosion of the middle class, with middle-income earners now forming less than 40 percent of the population. The affluent group has also shrunk to a third of its size, from 15 percent to 5 percent of the population over the past year," it said.
 
ESCWA Executive Secretary Rola Dashti affirmed that establishing a national solidarity fund is crucial to tackle the country's humanitarian crisis and close the poverty gap.
 
She said that donor support is also urgently needed to bolster food and health security, and ensure wider social protection.
 
Dashti considered that addressing the crises would require implementing the necessary economic governance reforms, limiting rent-seeking activities, and enhancing transparency and accountability.
 
"There should also be a fair and progressive system of shared responsibility, supported by political will and strong institutional capacity to ensure societal solidarity," she concluded.
 
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