Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has called on the United Nations for food support for Lebanon to address the repercussions of the war in Ukraine and the challenges posed by the presence of Syrian refugees, as well as for the anti-corruption program and the recovery of public funds. This request was made during a meeting held yesterday with UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, attended by the UN Resident Coordinator in Lebanon Najat Rushdi and the UN Under-Secretary-General and the Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), Rola Dashti.
During the meeting, Mikati, according to a statement from his office, requested the UN Deputy Secretary-General to "support Lebanon in the food security file, according to the UN plan to address the repercussions of the war in Ukraine on all countries, especially those in the region, including Lebanon." He also asked the UN to "support Lebanon in facing the multiple challenges resulting from the presence of Syrian refugees in the country."
Additionally, he requested the UN's support for Lebanon regarding the anti-corruption program and the recovery of public funds, as Lebanon is one of the countries that signed the program.
Mikati's request for support comes amid a food security crisis that Lebanon has started to suffer from due to the Russian war on Ukraine, which has led to difficulties in importing many food items, primarily wheat, as well as rising prices of the available supplies. This has resulted in a significant and chaotic increase in food prices, exacerbating the living crisis that the Lebanese people are enduring.
