The World Bank approved on January 12, 2021 a $246 million project titled “Lebanon Emergency Crisis and COVID-19 Response Social Safety Net Project (ESSN)” which aims to secure emergency cash transfers and access to social services to around 786,000 poor and vulnerable Lebanese that are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the World Bank, the ESSN will also assist in developing a broad national social safety nets system in order to allow a better response to current and future shocks. As per the World Bank, Lebanon has been reeling under the pressure of a myriad of crises namely an economic & financial meltdown, the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beirut port explosion and the repercussions of the decade-long Syrian conflict. In details, and on the economic and financial front, the World Bank cited the projected 19.2% contraction in GDP in 2020, the sky-rocketing (>100%) inflation levels, the frantic rise in poverty (45%) & extreme poverty (22%), with around 1.7 million individuals expected to fall below the poverty line, of which 841,000 will drop below the food poverty line. The report added that the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating the effects of the aforementioned crisis, straining the medical sector with lockdowns severely affecting jobs and livelihoods. The World Bank added that the August 4 Beirut port explosion inflicted several casualties and some $3.8-$4.6 billion in economic losses as well as leading to migration and brain drain. As far as the Syrian conflict is concerned, the World Bank pointed out to its devastating impact on public services, with Lebanon hosting the largest per-capita share of refugees. In this regard, Mr. Saroj Kumar, the World Bank Mashreq Regional Director commented that social stability is at peril as a result of the rising poverty, and that the project will accordingly aid in the expansion of the national poverty program to better protect female-headed households and those with elderly and disabled people. In figures, the program will provide a one-year cash assistance to 147,000 Lebanese households (some 786,000 individuals), with said assistance being in the form of a monthly LBP 100,000 aid per household member, and a flat LBP 200,000 per household. The transfers will be wired to pre-paid cards that will be issued by financial service providers and distributed to concerned households, who can use said cards to either withdraw money at Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) or conduct electronic payments at food shops. In addition, some 87,000 children aged between 13 and 18 will benefit from top-up transfers to cover all direct schooling costs (registration fees, textbook costs, transport and uniform expenses, as well as computer equipment for remote learning purposes) with school fees being directly disbursed to schools. The ESSN will also support Lebanon’s National Poverty Targeting Program (NPTP) that was launched in 2011, which aims at pinpointing eligible households across Lebanon based on a poverty score that takes factors such as wealth, assets and some demographic characteristics into consideration. The ESSN will also improve the access to social services that are catered by the Ministry of Social Affairs for some 100,000 vulnerable people, as well as enhancing the capabilities of workers at the Ministry. Finally, the World Bank uncovered that the project will be carried out by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers through the NPTP in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs & the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and under the guidance of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Social Affairs.