President Joseph Aoun (center) talking with the head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini (to his right), in the presence of Lebanese and international officials, at the Baabda Palace, on Feb. 6, 2025. (Credit: NNA)
Philippe Lazzarini, the secretary-general of the UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, continued his visit to Lebanon on Thursday, which started the day prior, with a stop at the Baabda Presidential Palace, where he met with President Joseph Aoun, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA) and Markaziah.
The Lebanese head of state told his counterpart that his country "appreciates the efforts of the Office and is ready to cooperate with it to resolve any issue related to the situation of Palestinians in Lebanon."
He also discussed with the U.N. official the Lebanese army's resumption of control over areas evacuated by Palestinian factions in the Bekaa, Chouf and Northern Lebanon, a process initiated following the cease-fire reached on Nov. 27 between Israel and Hezbollah and the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria.
Lazzarini congratulated President Aoun on his Jan. 9 election which ended more than two years of presidential vacancy. He informed him about UNRWA's activities in Lebanon, in neighboring countries, and in Gaza, as well as the challenges facing the agency, particularly after budget cuts imposed under Israeli and American pressure in the wake of the Gaza war.
On the day of Lazzarini's arrival in Lebanon, Palestinian refugees closed several UNRWA centers, offices, and schools in different camps across the country, protesting what they see as the agency's indifference to their demands concerning the "arbitrary" suspension of five teachers since October 2024.
Lazzarini also praised "the measures taken by the Lebanese army regarding the sites evacuated by Palestinian militants" and offered UNRWA's cooperation and coordination on the situation of Palestinians in the camps in Lebanon.
The delegation accompanying Lazzarini includes the special assistant to the commissioner, Sachini Jayawardan, as well as the director of UNRWA in Lebanon, Dorothy Klaus.
On Wednesday, the same delegation met caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to discuss "the situation of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, the work of the Office, and the challenges it faces in the occupied Palestinian territories," according to a message posted by the Grand Serail on X.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.