Agencies-Gaza post
UN calls for the swift formation of a new government in Lebanon
The UN Security Council on Wednesday welcomed the fact that parliamentary elections in Lebanon were held as scheduled on May 15, “despite difficult circumstances”, but called for the swift construction of a new inclusive government. and the “urgent implementation” of previously drafted economic reforms.
In a joint report, council members said the reforms should include the adoption of an “appropriate” national budget for 2022 that will allow for the swift execution of a deal with the International Monetary Fund “to respond to the demands of the Lebanese people. “.
The country’s economy has been mired since August 2019 in a crippling crisis, during which the Lebanese pound lost at least 90% of its value and more than three-quarters of the population fell into poverty.
Last month, Lebanon and the IMF reached an agreement on a plan that could unlock around $ 3 billion in international funding over several years. However, the deal is subject to the approval of the IMF management and board of directors and is based on the implementation of a number of economic reforms by the Lebanese authorities, including the restructuring of the country’s collapsing banking sector. greater transparency and the unification of the multiple exchange rates that apply to the nation’s spiral currency.
The Security Council stressed the role that Lebanese institutions, including the newly elected parliament, must play in implementing these necessary reforms and highlighted the importance of carrying them out, “to ensure effective international support”.
Members also called for steps to be taken to strengthen the “full, equitable and meaningful participation and representation” of women in Lebanese institutions, including the new government.
“These elections were fundamental in enabling the Lebanese people to exercise their civil and political rights,” said the council members.
They reiterated the need for “a swift conclusion of an independent, impartial, thorough and transparent investigation” into the devastating explosion at the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, which resulted in the deaths of over 200 people, thousands of injured, and many more replaced, since in addition to billions of dollars in property damage.
The council expressed the inquiry was “essential to meeting the legitimate aspirations of the Lebanese people for accountability and justice.”
The members also urged all Lebanese parties to execute a tangible policy of “dissociation from any external conflict, as an important priority, as indicated in previous statements, in particular in the 2012 Baabda Declaration”.
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah party has sent militants to Syria to fight alongside the forces of the Assad regime.
Source: here
