Press Conference to Launch the Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Framework (3RF)

Ladies and Gentlemen of the press,

Ahlan wa sahlan

And thank you for joining us today.

In my regular field visits in the past few months, I have listened to stories of shock and of loss: Women and men who have never had to ask for help, now reduced to handouts… Families who have had their homes and futures blown away... Children who no longer feel safe in their own neighborhoods… Youth who desperately seek to leave and start a new life elsewhere… Proud businesspeople who cannot access their savings, unable to start again.

Exactly four months after the August 4 port explosion, we have reached a milestone in the process of recovery and reconstruction of Beirut. The Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Framework that we are launching together with you today charts a path for ‘Building Back’ a Better Beirut and restoring trust in state institutions.

The 3RF is a response plan that offers hope for a better future.

It builds on the remarkable efforts of Lebanese citizens and volunteers and the humanitarian community– both Lebanese and international – who have worked tirelessly since day one.

It is the result of an inclusive and participatory process that brought together - from the very beginning of the planning process through the implementation – the priorities of the government and line ministries, civil society, the private sector, the academia as well as the broad development and diplomatic community.

Yesterday, at the ‘International Conference in Support of the Lebanese People’ co-chaired by France and the United Nations, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that through this Framework - the 3RF – we can, together, help the Lebanese people “move beyond the emergency phase and onto the path for longer-term recovery and reconstruction”. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The 3RF is fundamentally for the people. It is about meeting their critical needs, restoring their livelihoods, safeguarding their basic rights and giving them a voice and a place in policy making.

It is about short-term recovery that focuses on the people’s dire needs in the health, education, housing, culture, and social protection and inclusion sectors, moving beyond emergency relief and leading the way to medium and long-term efforts for recovery and reconstruction.  It is also about jobs and business recovery and restoring critical assets, services and infrastructure – notably the port, and about preparing for reconstruction through reforms.

The most urgent priority is to start with the immediate actions required for a people-centered recovery, which falls under Track 1 of the 3RF. Winter and rains are near, small businesses are unable to access finance to restock and recover, poverty levels are escalating further.

That’s why we continue to highlight to the international community that the supporting and financing of the 3RF ‘people-centred’ recovery track must come quickly, and it must come without conditions!

We need to get resources directly in the hands of people…. They deserve to live in dignity, to enjoy their basic human rights. It is a moral imperative and in everyone’s interests!

Ladies and Gentlemen of the press,

The 3RF proposes a new way of working, with civil society as full partner in the oversight and accountability of the 3RF implementation process.  Civil society can help put the needs of people first and ensure that their voices are heard, that they participate in policy and decision making, and that they have equal opportunity.

But let us remember that the recovery and reconstruction of Lebanon and the successful implementation of this framework rests with the Lebanese Government that should step up and take responsibility to bring about transformational change the soonest possible.

For that, we have repeatedly called for the formation of a new, fully empowered Government. One that takes full responsibility towards its citizens… that protects its people and upholds their rights… that is capable to provide them with basic public services and can effectively lead on the recovery and reconstruction.

We have conveyed this message publicly and directly to key actors and we repeat it once again from this platform.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have a long way before us, yet there are signs of hope! And this hope comes from my strong belief in the prospects of the 3RF and the power of our partnerships.

I am confident that we are crafting the solutions we need in order to build back a better and more resilient Lebanon, and help its people get back on their feet.

It’s time to recover, to rebuild Lebanon.

Thank you.