The International Committee of the Red Cross and the French Development Agency signed a financing agreement today worth 12.5 million euros to support the partnership between the International Committee of the Red Cross and Tripoli Government Hospital, the second public hospital in Lebanon. A joint French-Saudi press statement mentioned that "this project aims to improve the quality of healthcare services provided by the hospital to the population in northern Lebanon, as well as to enhance access for the most vulnerable groups to healthcare services. This funding will enable the upgrading of the hospital's infrastructure and equipment, the reorganization of emergency services, and the strengthening of the team's competencies. The project also receives support worth 9 million euros from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through a financial mandate from the King Salman Relief and Humanitarian Aid Center to the French Development Agency, within the framework of the French-Saudi initiative to support the people of Lebanon. The implementation of the project will extend from 2022 to 2025."
The statement noted that "the signing ceremony took place at Tripoli Government Hospital in the presence of the French Ambassador to Lebanon, Anne Grillo, the Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Abdullah Bukhari, the Lebanese Minister of Health, Firas Al-Abyad, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation in Lebanon, Simone Kazabiancka Ishleman, and several Lebanese official representatives."
It clarified that "this signing comes as a realization of the agreement signed last April between the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French Development Agency, and the King Salman Relief and Humanitarian Aid Center, in accordance with the commitments made by the French President and the Saudi Crown Prince on December 4 last year in Jeddah. This joint French-Saudi humanitarian fund aims to meet the most urgent needs of vulnerable groups in Lebanon, providing financial support for a range of projects in priority sectors such as health and food security, amounting to approximately thirty million euros thus far."
The statement confirmed that "France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia remain alongside the Lebanese people and reiterate the urgent necessity for the required reforms to lift Lebanon out of the crisis."
