United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon briefs Security Council

The consultations focused on the forthcoming report of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on the implementation of resolution 1701 (2006) and the escalation of hostilities across the Blue Line.

With collective warnings and appeals unheeded, the Special Coordinator observed that one had not needed a crystal ball to see that the situation between Lebanon and Israel was bound to escalate. Amid a mounting casualty toll, mass displacement and widespread devastation, Hennis-Plasschaert told the Security Council that Lebanon now faces a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic proportions. She underscored that the machinery of war neither addresses the underlying issues nor enables citizens on either side of the Blue Line to return home.

Despite all that had transpired, the Special Coordinator explained that both sides now have another chance to bring this devastating chapter to a close. Fortuitously, she said, the framework that can end the conflict already exists: resolution 1701. “It must be unambiguously clear, however, that the parties, this time around, can no longer pick and choose which provisions to implement while paying only lip service to others.” Hennis-Plasschaert stressed that neither side can afford another period of disingenuous implementation under the guise of ostensible calm. This would only beget another war, she added.

Within this context, the Special Coordinator also stressed the critical need for the Lebanese state to come back into the equation. While emphasizing that solutions in one area must not create vacuums in another, she asserted that efforts to mobilize support for the Lebanese Armed Forces must focus on needs identified both south and north of the Litani river. Hennis-Plasschaert further noted that the economic fallout of the conflict would be far-reaching, exacerbating an already dismal socio-economic and financial situation, which is also plagued by pervasive and systemic corruption.

Welcoming all donor contributions to date, Hennis-Plasschaert said that, with the Flash Appeal only 23.5 per cent funded, pledges should materialize into actual funding in line with the severity of the crisis.

In closing, the Special Coordinator remarked that the Lebanese people were often characterized as “resilient” – a catchphrase that, by now, elicited disdain from many. She further stated, “Weary from an unrelenting cycle of crises, they simply seek – and deserve – a sustainable way forward, once and for all.”