As part of UNDP efforts to improve the living conditions in Palestinian Gatherings, this report presents the findings of a household survey on living conditions in Palestinian Gatherings in Lebanon carried out by the Consultation and Research Institute (CRI) in 2022. A first wave of survey had been conducted in 2017 and published in 2018. Following the dual economic and COVID-19 crises that broke out as of late 2019, the UNDP decided to commission another wave of survey, in order to assess the effects of these crises on Palestinian Gatherings’ dwellers and the degree to which they may have exacerbated already existing vulnerabilities. This study seeks to understand the changes, since 2017, in the socio-economic living conditions and the main vulnerabilities that inhabitants of Palestinian Gatherings face when accessing housing and basic urban services, social services (education and health), the labor market and other income generating opportunities, as well as safety concerns. In addition, the report attempts to measure the particular impact of the economic crisis on the living conditions in Palestinian Gatherings and identify coping mechanisms to which households have resorted in response to the crises. The overall aim is to inform the development agenda in Palestinian Gatherings in a way that improves living conditions in these communities and therefore contribute to the country’s overall recovery. 

The results of the survey reveal that while certain vulnerabilities pre-existed the economic crisis, other vulnerabilities have been severely exacerbated by the crisis, reaching the level of what may be called a humanitarian emergency in Palestinian Gatherings. The major conclusions are presented in this executive summary.