资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

By Taina Christiansen, Head of the UN-Habitat Lebanon Country Programme

Beirut, Lebanon, 26 February 2021 -  More than six months have passed since the Beirut Port explosion, which changed the city forever. As the humanitarian response phase comes to a close, moving to longer-term recovery and reconstruction of a city that is barely coping with the multiple and interminable other crises facing Lebanon – UN-Habitat continues to engage on multiple fronts, aimed at enabling and contributing to a wider urban recovery at scale, while considering the multi-sector efforts necessary to do so.

The emergency phase saw a United Nations Flash Appeal funded at just over 80 per cent (USD 158.7 million  received out of 196.6 million requested), responding to the most urgent humanitarian needs across six key sectors: shelter; protection; water, sanitation and hygiene; health; food security and education. As projects under the Flash Appeal are being wrapped up, they have set the stage for longer-term recovery and reconstruction – principally captured under a Lebanon Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Framework (3RF) – jointly prepared by the World Bank, the European Union and the United Nations. The 3RF is part of a comprehensive response to the explosion. It is a people-centred recovery and reconstruction framework aimed at bridging the immediate humanitarian response and the medium-term recovery and reconstruction efforts to put Lebanon on a path of sustainable development.

The COVID-19 outbreak remains a massive public health emergency. As community transmission continues to increase, triggering a complete lockdown since mid-January 2021, the effects of the pandemic weigh heavy on a country in severe socio-economic and financial crisis. This places hundreds of thousands of people, especially those relying on daily work within the informal economy, in a precarious situation. The situation is creating new humanitarian needs and exacerbating current ones. With 60 per cent unemployment rates in some neighbourhoods, many are going hungry and are at risk of eviction resulting in street demonstrations.

UN-Habitat continues to contribute to the wider international community’s response, through multiple interventions. This includes ensuring that people have their most basic shelter needs met, undertaking housing repairs, rehabilitating schools and health care facilities, applying an environmental approach to debris management, while working in coordination with local authorities, communities and UN and non-UN actors who form part of the wider response and urban recovery efforts.

Contributing with coordination, technical and assessment expertise from the outset

Over the past 18 months, local authorities have been at the forefront of the response to multiple crises. To support them, UN-Habitat quickly acted to support the municipalities most blast-affected: Beirut and Bourj Hammoud – joining a vast network of humanitarian and non-humanitarian partners to facilitate the immediate response, recovery and reconstruction processes associated with the aftermath of the blast.