The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Lebanon not spared global food and fuel crisis made worse by Ukraine war: UN senior aid official
Veteran UN aid coordinator Najat Rochdi on Friday signalled grave concerns about rising humanitarian needs across Lebanon linked to the global food insecurity crisis, which is affecting “everyone, everywhere”.
Since last year, the number of people in urgent need of support has risen by 46 per cent, said the UN Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon and UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, speaking in Geneva.
“Lebanon’s crisis is affecting everyone, everywhere across the country, with women bearing the brunt of the profound impact of this multi-layered crisis…2.2 million vulnerable Lebanese, 86,000 migrants and 200,000 Palestine refugees in Lebanon currently require emergency aid; in addition to 1.5 million Syrian refugees that are unable to afford or even access health, food, electricity, water, education and waste-water management, not to mention lifesaving protection services.”
Asked specifically about the fallout on global food and fuel insecurity in already struggling Lebanon from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, Ms. Rochdi told journalists that the country was “no exception”, after suffering a spike in fuel prices, greater food insecurity and difficulties importing food.
Even hospitals had been affected, faced with an “acute shortage in medical supplies and power shortages, at a time when over 40 per cent of Lebanon’s doctors and 30 per cent of nurses have left country, since the beginning of the economic meltdown”, she added.
Unemployment – and in particular growing youth unemployment – has forced many of the country’s youngest and brightest jobseekers to leave Lebanon, she noted, with almost one-third of the population out of work now, compared with 11.4 per cent before COVID-19.
Women are also facing an alarming rise in sexual exploitation, in inverse proportion to the country’s “economic meltdown”, the UN official said, pointing to widespread reports of women and children “feeling unsafe in public spaces, such as streets, markets or when using public transport”.
To help meet these and many other challenges, Ms. Rochdi issued a revised humanitarian appeal for $546 million for more than one million Lebanese, refugees and migrants.
Highlighting how the UN and its partners have taken action to help, she noted that emergency fuel supplies had been distributed to more than 600 health facilities and water pumping stations “to ensure the provision of lifesaving services to the most vulnerable populations affected by this ongoing energy crisis and maintain the provision of basic services across Lebanon”.
ends
STORY: Lebanon Humanitarian Update – OCHA
TRT: 2 mins 52s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: FRENCH/ENGLISH/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 1 July 2022, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Wide shot, UN Geneva flag alley.
- Wide shot, Press room, UN Geneva.
- SOUNDBITE (FRENCH): Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon: “L’impact de la guerre en Ukraine sur le Liban est le même qu’ailleurs, il faut le dire, l’impact de la guerre en Ukraine sur les pays, c’est bien évidemment les prix, comme vous l’avez si bien dit, du fioul, etcetera, c’est aussi un impact par rapport à la sécurité alimentaire, c’est aussi un impact par rapport à l’approvisionnement; donc le Liban n’est pas une exception.”
- Mid shot, TV camera operators.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon: “Lebanon’s crisis is affecting everyone, everywhere across the country, with women bearing the brunt of the profound impact of this multi-layered crisis.”
- Mid shot, journalists, participants typing on laptops.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon: “2.2 million vulnerable Lebanese, 86,000 migrants and 200,000 Palestine refugees in Lebanon currently require emergency aid; in addition to 1.5 million Syrian refugees that are unable to afford or even access health, food, electricity, water, education and waste water management, not to mention lifesaving protection services.”
- Close-up, pen in hand, notes being written on notepad.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon: “Hospitals suffer from an acute shortage in medical supplies and power shortages, at a time when over 40 per cent of Lebanon’s doctors and 30 per cent of nurses have left country, since the beginning of the economic meltdown”
- Close-up, microphones in foreground, blurred, Najat Rochdi in focus, side shot.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon: “Alarmingly, gender exploitation and sexual exploitation and abuse are on the rise. We have received widespread reports of women and children feeling unsafe in public spaces, such as streets, markets or when using public transport.”
- Close-up, hands typing on laptop keyboards.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon: “Through the emergency fuel provision, we have been able to support over 600 health facilities and water pumping stations to ensure the provision of lifesaving services to the most vulnerable populations affected by this ongoing energy crisis and maintain the provision of basic services across Lebanon.”
- Medium shot, participants typing on laptops, podium speakers to rear.
- Close-up, TV viewfinder showing Ms. Rochdi in frame and to rear.
- Medium shot, participant writing on notepad, microphone on desk, TV camera and tripod to rear.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC
Introductory press conference with new members of the Commission.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said Tuesday UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk was outraged by the repeated large-scale attacks by the Russian Federation on energy infrastructure in Ukraine.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN warns against repeating abuses in South Kordofan that occurred in El Fasher.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
Mozambique floods heighten disease, malnutrition risks – UN agencies
Catastrophic flooding in Mozambique is causing massive disruption to lives and livelihoods across the country, increasing the risk of disease and exposing urban areas to crocodiles, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OCHA , OHCHR , UNCTAD , UNICEF , UNECE
Rolando Gómez, Chief of Press and External Relations Section, United Nations Information Service (UNIS) at Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the United Nations Trade and Development.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | OCHA
Yemen: Children are dying and it’s going to get worse, aid veteran warns
In Yemen, renewed political instability threatens and economic woes linked to the war to complicate the already difficult task of helping vulnerable people suffering from deepening hunger, illness and displacement, the UN's top aid official there said on Monday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , IFRC
Ukraine: Families in ‘survival mode’ amid Russian strikes and -18°C cold
Families across Ukraine are in “constant survival mode” amid ongoing waves of Russian missile and drone strikes that have left blocks without power for days at a time, while temperatures plunge to a deadly -18°C (-0.4°F), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC , UNICEF , IFRC , WFP , WHO , UNHCR
Rolando Gómez, Chief of Press and External Relations Section, UN Information Service at Geneva (UNIS), chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Children’s Fund, the International Federation of the Red Cross, the World Food Programme, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Health Organization.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence urges Iranian authorities to end violent repression and calls for accountability.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Gaza: A ceasefire that ‘still buries children’ is not enough, says UNICEF
Airstrikes, drone strikes and hypothermia are among the lethal conditions prevailing in Gaza despite the ceasefire, with more than 100 children killed since early October, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNICEF , OHCHR , OCHA , WHO , WMO
Michele Zaccheo, Chief, UNTV, Radio and Webcast Section, United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons of United Nations Children's Fund, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
At the UN bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson Marta Hurtado commented on the widespread repression and intimidation against political opposition ahead of the general elections in Uganda.