Thursday, 24 October 2013
United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly today spoke to a group of students at AUB on the occasion of UN Day.
He spoke about the UN Secretary-General’s UN Day message, which highlights ending the fighting in Syria as the Organization’s top priority. Mr. Plumbly noted the importance of this for Lebanon’s security and stability.
Mr. Plumbly spoke of the long history of the UN in Lebanon, the great range of work being done by UN agencies in the country at the humanitarian, development, human rights, political and peacekeeping levels, and the deep commitment of the Organization to Lebanon’s peace and stability. He described the central role played by resolution 1701 in this regard.
Mr. Plumbly underscored the strong, united position of the UN Security Council and the international community as to the need to protect Lebanon from regional instability. He noted the Council’s support for the efforts of President Sleiman to preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty, unity and stability and continuity of state institutions. He also underlined UN support for the President’s message as to the need to safeguard Lebanon from the impact of the Syrian crisis through disassociation and commitment to the Baabda Declaration, and the need for all concerned to step back from involvement in Syria.
Mr. Plumbly talked of the impact on Lebanon of the Syria crisis, most visibly the nearly 800,000 Syrian refugees registered or seeking registration to receive assistance, as a “shared responsibility” of the international community. He spoke of the commitment of UN personnel to assisting the refugees, and the UN’s determination to help the Lebanese state address the multiple impacts of the Syrian crisis. He recalled the Secretary-General’s initiative to this end in establishing the International Support Group for Lebanon on 25 September.
Mr. Plumbly praised the resilience shown by the people of Lebanon through two and a half years of conflict in Syria, and stressed that the United Nations would remain a strong partner for Lebanon in the period ahead. He referred to the Secretary-General’s meeting for this UN Day with students in Denmark and repeated the Secretary General’s message to reach out and engage actively: with such engagement on the part of the young, Lebanon would have a bright future.
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