From left to right: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, French President Emmanuel Macron, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, in a group photo during the international press conference in support of Lebanon, in Paris, Oct. 24, 2024. (Credit: Alain Jocard/AFP)
BEIRUT — The financial aid promised to Lebanon on Thursday at the international conference held in support the country's population will be channeled through U.N. agencies, French President Emmanuel Macron said in his opening speech at the event, not to the Lebanese government. The agencies will work with NGOs in Lebanon, which in turn will provide aid to the Lebanese population, through a mechanism that has not yet been clearly defined.
The message from France, whose president organized the conference, is clear. The $1 billion in aid, including $200 million for the Lebanese Army and €100 million from France, will not be handed over to the Lebanese authorities, many of whom face accusations of corruption and financial mismanagement. "The United Nations will ensure exemplary governance of these funds," said Macron, "and France will support all the relevant agencies, which will in turn support NGOs to provide this aid."
The billion dollars promised "is not aid that will go to the Lebanese government," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Friday, during an interview on France Info. In response to concerns that the money would end up in the pockets of government officials, instead of reaching Lebanese citizens, he emphasized that the U.N. agencies "have set up traceability and admissibility mechanisms, so that they can be accountable to donors."
France also maintains a "trusting relationship" with "certain Lebanese players," Barrot said, citing the Lebanese Red Cross as an example and implying that certain levels of cooperation with groups independent of the government could be possible.
'Under discussion'
However, so far, there have been few details shared as to how this sum of money is to be distributed. The logistics are "under discussion," according to a French diplomatic source, "as is the confirmation of pledges." The source added that further information should be made available next week.
"After the pledges have been made, it will take some time to put the aid architecture into practice," said Edouard Bitar, co-founder of Live Love Beirut, who attended the conference.
On Friday, the European Union announced an emergency package of €40 million in response to the U.N.'s flash appeal, the details of which also remain cloudy for the time being. This amount is in addition to the €64 million in humanitarian aid and the €250 million in financial aid granted earlier this year. The UK also announced on Friday that it was granting £5 million to UNICEF in Lebanon.
Contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, Environment Minister Nasser Yassin, who coordinates Lebanon's limited support for the displaced, confirmed that the aid obtained at the Paris conference will be channeled through U.N. partner organizations "in the implementation of the humanitarian response plan, notably the World Food Program," as well as UNICEF, UNHCR, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Israeli aggression in Lebanon, in its fight against Hezbollah, has forced more than 1.4 million people from their homes, killed more than 2,590 people, and wounded at least 12,061. Economic losses due to the war could exceed $20 billion, while the percentage of people living in extreme poverty could exceed 80 percent in bombed-out areas, according to a warning from the Independent Task Force for Lebanon (ITFL) in a report published on Oct. 20.
In Paris on Thursday, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke of the need to provide aid not only to those who have been displaced but also to the communities that are hosting the displaced.
"We also need to shelter families, feed children, care for the wounded, and continue to provide schooling for pupils," he said, proposing to Prime Minister Najib Mikati that France coordinate its educational efforts, particularly with baccalaureate holders, as it has already done during previous crises.
Support for the Lebanese Army is also a notable characteristic of the support package. A Western diplomatic source in Beirut said that several countries at the conference pledged to support the army, including the European Union, the United States, Qatar, Denmark and the Netherlands.
In addition to the $200 million fund, in-kind aid and airlifts are already in place, organized by several countries, including Arab nations, as part of efforts to supply the army with equipment and supplies, and ensure the hiring and training of new recruits.
