Security Council Press Statement on Lebanon

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Geraldine Byrne Nason (Ireland):

The members of the Security Council welcomed the announcement on 10 September 2021 of the formation of a new Government in Lebanon led by Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the 20 September 2021 vote of confidence by the Parliament of Lebanon as necessary first steps towards the resolution of Lebanon's crisis.

They reaffirmed their strong support for the stability, security, territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon, consistent with Security Council resolutions 1701 (2006), 1680 (2006), 1559 (2004), and 2591 (2021), as well as other relevant Security Council resolutions and statements of the President of the Security Council on the situation in Lebanon.

The members of the Security Council urged Lebanon's new Government to swiftly and transparently implement the well‑known, necessary and tangible reforms, as reiterated in the new Government's Ministerial Declaration. Such reforms are key to respond to the dire needs and legitimate aspirations of the Lebanese population regarding the urgent security, economic, social and humanitarian challenges facing the country. They also underlined the importance of delivering those reforms in order to ensure effective international support.

The members of the Security Council underlined the importance of holding free, fair and inclusive elections in 2022 transparently and according to the planned schedule, ensuring the full, equal and meaningful participation of women as candidates and voters in the elections. They urged the Lebanese Government to start preparing without delay the necessary groundwork ahead of this crucial step.

They stressed once again the need for a swift, independent, impartial, thorough, and transparent investigation into the explosions which struck Beirut on 4 August 2020.

The members of the Security Council called upon all Lebanese parties to implement a tangible policy of disassociation from any external conflicts, as an important priority, as spelled out in previous declarations, in particular, the 2012 Baabda Declaration.

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Statement by Dr Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator: Provision of fuel to maintain critical health and WASH services [EN/AR]

Beirut 23 September 2021 – Dr Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, is announcing the start of the delivery of fuel to critical healthcare and water institutions across Lebanon to ensure continuous provision of services to the most vulnerable populations affected by the energy and fuel crisis.

The severe electricity and fuel shortages which have been affecting Lebanon over the past weeks, are impeding the provision of essential services, including health care and water, and has resulted in tremendous additional hardship across all populations. The fuel shortage has also posed additional operational challenges to the humanitarian community assisting the country's most vulnerable populations. "In order to mitigate additional suffering and preventing loss of lives, I have asked the World Food Programme (WFP) in Lebanon, as the global humanitarian lead on logistics, to develop an emergency fuel supply plan to maintain critical health, water and sanitation services for the most vulnerable populations and prevent the discontinuation of lifesaving activities implemented by humanitarian actors," said Ms Najat Rochdi, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon.

This three-month plan, developed in collaboration with UNICEF, WHO and the NGOs working on health and WASH issues, will provide fuel to all public hospitals, primary health care centers and dispensaries servicing the most vulnerable communities in the different regions in Lebanon and relied upon by an estimated 2.1 million annually. It will also provide fuel to four water establishments to secure continuous water supply to about 2.3 million people across the country. "The implementation of this emergency fuel supply plan will not impact existing national fuel reserves, nor will the program interrupt future national fuel deliveries" clarified Dr Rodchi. "All fuel will be purchased at a non-subsidized rate and add to the existing national fuel stocks" she stressed.

This is an exceptional emergency support for a maximum duration of three months. The responsibility to ensure uninterrupted provision of basic services remains with the Government of Lebanon. "I call on the government to save no effort to implement, at the earliest possible, sustainable solutions to the ongoing energy crisis and to protect the rights of families in Lebanon to access essential services," Dr. Rodchi said.

This exceptional intervention is part of the broader UN-coordinated Emergency Response Plan launched in early August with a financial ask of US$383 million, to provide critical life-saving humanitarian assistance to most vulnerable Lebanese and migrants affected by the ongoing crises. It complements and supports humanitarian assistance provided through UNRWA programs as well as the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan for Syrian refugees and their host communities.

Monday, September 27, 2021