In a move that reflects an official trend to unify efforts related to following up on the repercussions of the Israeli war on Lebanon, the President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, chaired an expanded coordination meeting in Baabda Palace, which included ministers and officials concerned with humanitarian, economic, and relief files, with the aim of developing a unified mechanism to document the damage and losses that Lebanon incurred as a result of the war.
President Aoun stressed during the meeting that the goal is not to “replicate or parallel the existing work,” but rather to build on it and complete it by organizing and unifying the data related to the humanitarian, social, economic, and infrastructure repercussions, which allows presenting a comprehensive picture, supported by numbers and facts, about the magnitude of the impact that Lebanon is bearing.
The meeting was attended by the Ministers of Interior, Ahmed Al-Hajjar, Health, Rakan Nasser Al-Din, Social Affairs, Hanin Al-Sayyed, Public Works and Transport, Fayez Rasamny, Economy, Amer Al-Bassat, Education and Higher Education, Rima Karami, and Agriculture, Nizar Hani, along with a number of heads of relevant bodies and institutions, including the President of the Council for Development and Reconstruction, Muhammad Qabbani, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Relief Commission, Brigadier General Bassam Al-Nabulsi, the Secretary-General of the Lebanese Red Cross, George Kettani, and the Director-General of Civil Defense, Brigadier General Imad Khraish.
At the beginning of the meeting, President Aoun praised the efforts made by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the relevant ministries and departments in following up on the repercussions of the war, stressing the importance of coordination, which has proven effective in managing displacement files, relief and humanitarian response, and documenting the damage.
He also stressed the importance of daily monitoring the repercussions of the war, managing displacement and humanitarian response files, and collecting related data, with the aim of preparing an accurate and comprehensive documentary file that can be relied upon in Lebanon’s official and diplomatic action during the next stage.
The meeting dealt with the coordination mechanism between the concerned parties, in addition to naming specialized contact points to facilitate the exchange of information and data within the jurisdiction of each party, which contributes to the preparation of files supporting international discussions related to the humanitarian situation, recovery and reconstruction.
President Aoun stressed the importance of full cooperation between various institutions, to ensure that the true extent of the humanitarian, social and economic burdens that Lebanon bears as a result of the war is highlighted.
At the conclusion of the meeting, a coordination mechanism was agreed upon to prepare an integrated and comprehensive file to be placed at the disposal of Lebanese officials, explaining in numbers and documents the repercussions of the Israeli war on various sectors in Lebanon.
This official move comes in light of the escalating humanitarian and economic pressures resulting from the war, the continued displacement and damage to infrastructure and vital sectors, amid ongoing Lebanese diplomatic movements to mobilize international support and prepare for legal and regional paths related to documenting losses, demanding compensation, and launching recovery and reconstruction projects.
