UN secretary-general rallies support for Lebanon

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched a plan on Wednesday to revitalise Beirut as the "beating heart of Lebanon" and urged the country's leaders to form a new government amid a political deadlock. Speaking in a pre-recorded video message to the International Conference in Support of the Lebanese People, Guterres announced the creation of a fund handled by the World Bank, the UN and the European Union to provide support for Lebanon.

The support would finance food, healthcare, education and the reconstruction of the Port of Beirut. The meeting, which was held via videoconference by the UN and France, was the second since the disastrous August 4 explosion that destroyed the port and wrecked large parts of the capital.

The blast, which killed over 200 people and wounded thousands, was caused by the detonation of nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrates that had been stored unsafely at a port warehouse for years. The explosion came amid an unprecedented financial meltdown - worsened by pandemic-related closures - that has brought soaring inflation, poverty and unemployment.

World leaders and international organisations pledged nearly $300 million in emergency humanitarian aid after the blast but warned that no money for rebuilding the capital will be made available until Lebanese authorities commit themselves to serious political and economic reforms. The donors pledged the aid will be coordinated by the UN and delivered directly to the Lebanese people, in a clear rebuke of the country's entrenched and notoriously corrupt leaders. 

(Image Credits: AP)