“Beirut City Profile – 2021”
Beirut, June 11, 2021
H.E. Ms. Maimunah Sherif
UN-Habitat Under Secretary-General and Executive Director,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today, we meet in recognition of the UN-Habitat achievement which is “Beirut City Profile 2021”.
Let me say, at the outset, that in the context of compounding cycles of multifaceted crises that have shaken our country, the Government of Lebanon turned to International Organizations and friendly countries for assistance. I am pleased to say that the United Nations Organization has been very responsive to our various appeals. The close relation between the UN and Lebanon, a co-founder of the UN and a major player in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is based on mutual and full trust. Indeed, it has materialized in all areas of activities, be they in the South to maintain international peace and security or across Lebanon to promote development and recovery. In a further step along the arduous path of recovery, the UN-Habitat has produced “The Beirut City Profile” whose launch I am delighted to celebrate as we were gratified with the 3RF, a valuable UN, EU and World Bank multilateral response to meet the needs of the Lebanese people in the aftermath of the port of Beirut explosion.
In this regard, while we are grateful for UN-Habitat’s various activities and recent contribution, the conclusions outlined in “Beirut City Profile” as well as in “3RF” should not be considered incongruous elements. Similar to civil and political rights on the one hand and economic, social and cultural rights on the other hand, I believe that these conclusions are indivisible as they complement each other.
In this report, Beirut is depicted as “a capital city in a state of crisis … rather than faced by multiple crises”. Its precarious situation is not only due to the recent shocks severely impacting the livelihoods of the Lebanese people but also to key endemic and long-standing structural barriers manifested at the city level and far beyond the surrounding neighborhoods physically affected by the blast. No wonder the UN-Habitat’s report focuses on Beirut given that the vast majority of Lebanese reside in the cities and primarily in the capital, whose port is the heartbeat of Lebanon.
As defined by UN-Habitat, the built up area of greater Beirut encompasses 31 municipalities which lack accurate, updated, multi-sectoral and detailed urban data. As envisaged, without developing a well-rounded understanding and diagnosis of the current situation in this area, there cannot be effective prescriptions for a holistic approach and the allocation of funds to improve the quantity and quality of municipality services. I look forward to seeing how national and local authorities as well as international and local organizations can make use of the extensive analysis this report offers to strengthen resilience and bring about recovery at the city level and at other parts of Lebanon.
Actually, making the whole of Lebanon resilient, not just Beirut, has been a major undertaking of the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Unit at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers since 2010. This priority is now more pressing than ever. In conducting its business, the DRM is fully engaged to mainstream strategies, policies and frameworks. Reinforcing DRM capacities will surely assist in increasing the resilience of a country prone to disaster risks.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In meticulously portraying the precarious conditions prevailing in Beirut, I noted that the UN-Habitat’s report revealed “some worrying signs for what comes next” if these conditions were not addressed in a proper and timely manner. These conditions include and I quote: “increased tensions between groups in Beirut along social, ethnic, nationality and religious fault lines, hunger-crime, food security problems across the country, pre-existing divisions, pockets of high density, overcrowded and poorly serviced accommodations”. While I do not underestimate the concerns of UN-Habitat in this regard, I would like, for the sake of clarity, to make the following observations:
1- My Government was formed of technocrat ministers in the wake of the October 2019 uprising and in response to the outcries of the Lebanese people. We started a reform process based on a master plan for financial, economic, social recovery and structural reforms, whose merits the International Community acknowledged. However, the port of Beirut explosion on August 4, 2020 was a turning point in the Government’s lifespan as I resigned to make headway for a new Government that enjoys the widest political support.
2- By now, it is well understood that our mission was not restricted to the unprecedented, concurrent and successive crises but also included a legacy of mismanagement and protracted problems.
3- In all democracies, conceptual differences are normal in a vibrant and diverse society. However, they become greater and bolder under strenuous circumstances. Despite this fact, I trust the ability of the Lebanese people to overcome their differences and achieve understanding. These Lebanese differences are not irreconcilable; they are regretfully manipulated for political ends. I totally concur with UN-Habitat itself on reporting that “the post-October 2019 civil uprising and the solidarity displayed after the 4 August blast illustrate how people come together in the face of extreme difficulties … and how impressive the capacity of volunteers was to mobilize work on the ground in the immediate aftermath of the blast”. Moreover, I am convinced that these circumstances were a driving force which unveiled the unifying spirit of the Lebanese people.
4- In my academic and public life, I lived by 2 guiding principles which are transparency and accountability. I strongly believe that they constitute a steady pathway to Lebanon’s recovery. To expedite the process, I reiterate my call to the Lebanese politicians to stop the political bickering, to urgently form an inclusive Government and carry on the reforms initiated by my Government.
Finally, I would like to convey my deep appreciation to UN-Habitat for all the efforts invested to produce the report, hoping that its evidence bases will be shared with all concerned stakeholders and its recommendations applied. Furthermore, I am heartened to note the thoughtful attention given in the report to “Beirut City’s rich cultural heritage and identity which span more than 5000 years”. Such a rich background is a compelling reason to bounce back. In fact, it is Lebanon’s destiny to survive all traumas and hazards while its majestic cities navigate a long journey through history.
