The UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Mr. Ted Chaiban and World Food Programme (WFP) Deputy Executive Director Mr. Carl Skau recently conducted a three-day visit to Lebanon, and subsequently issued a statement calling for an urgent humanitarian response in light of the escalation of the conflict. The statement unveiled that around 1.2 million people have been affected by the conflict, with around 190,000 people relocating to some 1,000 shelters across the country and hundreds of thousands either seeking refuge amongst family & friends or fleeing to Syria. In response, the UNICEF and WFP are providing some 200,000 people with daily food and cash, while simultaneously cooperating with ministries to furnish families with primary health care, water & hygiene kits, mattresses & blankets and psychosocial support services. The agencies, however, called for increased funding in order to better respond to the growing needs, while also urging the international community to aid in keeping ports and routes open in an endeavor to ensure uninterrupted access to humanitarian assistance.