Perhaps few issues in Lebanon are cause for more spirited debate than access to employment for Syrian refugees. Yet due to insufficient data, the economics of the issue have only been credibly argued in the most macro of terms. Nevertheless, a series of new development projects and policy reforms could provide more employment opportunities for both displaced Syrians and Lebanese citizens. This was a key theme of an international donor conference held in London in February 2016. Speaking at the end of the event, the UK’s then-International Development Secretary Justine Greening announced, “And today we’ve also made a second critical choice on supporting jobs for refugees and economic growth in the countries hosting them.” The donor conference – which secured pledges totaling $12 billion in grants and loans aimed mainly at Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey – also resulted in the creation of the Concessional Financing Facility for the Middle
