Lebanon

I offer my sincere congratulations to the President on his election to lead the General Assembly at its seventy-seventh session. I also take this opportunity to thank His Excellency Mr. Abdullah Shahid for his good stewardship of the previous session and for all his efforts in that regard. I would like as well to commend His Excellency Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his continued efforts to promote the role of the United Nations Organization and develop its work. The world today is in a very delicate situation, involving armed conflicts and interrelated crises that are of concern to us all. There is no better place to deliberate those challenges than in the General Assembly Hall, which brings together all the world’s States under the auspices of the Charter of the United Nations, which my country, Lebanon, is proud to have played a role in establishing. We have enjoyed decades of productive cooperation with the United Nations. In that context, I am delighted to thank the President of the General Assembly — and through him, the United Nations, with all its branches and specialized institutions and those operating in Lebanon — for their efforts to help Lebanon and contribute to mitigating the consequences of the crippling economic and financial crisis that it now faces. I would like to thank in particular the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon for its sacrifices and efforts to maintain stability in southern Lebanon, in close coordination with the Lebanese army. With the help of Member States, we look forward to strengthening the military capabilities and alleviating the financial burdens of the Lebanese army. In that context, we stress Lebanon’s commitment to the full implementation of the provisions of resolution 1701 (2006) and all resolutions of international legitimacy. With regard to the demarcation of our maritime borders, under the auspices of the United Nations and with the commendable mediation of the United States, I would like to reaffirm Lebanon’s full commitment to its sovereignty and rights over, and its enjoyment of, its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. We reiterate our sincere desire to reach a long- overdue negotiated solution. I am pleased to inform the Assembly that we have made significant progress in that regard and hope to soon reach the desired outcome. Lebanon is determined to protect its national interests and the wealth of its people, as well as to invest in its national resources. We are fully aware of the importance of the promising energy market in the eastern Mediterranean for the prosperity of the economies of the countries of the region and for meeting the needs of importing countries. Lebanon believes in the leading role played by the United Nations. We stress our commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We also believe in the international frameworks that address disarmament issues in their various forms and welcome efforts to establish an international understanding to rid the Middle East of weapons of mass destruction pursuant to decision 73/546. We commend the previous sessions of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction and look forward to the successful conclusion of its third session, to be held under Lebanon’s presidency in November. We also look forward to contributing to the establishment of that nuclear-weapon-free zone. Many countries in the world today face severe economic crises, the causes of which are multifaceted and well known, as they have had a major impact on all aspects of life. That has made it imperative for many Governments and countries to resort to extraordinary measures in seeking to alleviate the impact of such crises on their peoples. In my country, Lebanon, we have faced the worst socioeconomic crisis in our history for the past several years, which has affected all our institutions and placed the majority of Lebanese below the poverty line. It has caused many people to emigrate, with our homeland losing many of its best and most promising young people. That comes on top of severe and unprecedented economic deterioration, the collapse of the national currency to its lowest levels in history and the closures imposed by the coronavirus disease pandemic, not to mention the Beirut port explosion catastrophe, the cause of which we are seeking to determine. We are also dealing with the consequences of the Syrian crisis and the burden of those who have been displaced. In that context, the Lebanese Government is confronted by an unprecedented political crisis that has made it necessary to tread very slowly and carefully across a political and economic minefield in order to remedy the situation and create an environment conducive to pulling Lebanon out of its current crisis. Our Government has succeeded in achieving many of its goals, most notably in the timely holding of parliamentary elections despite the difficult circumstances prevailing in the country. Nevertheless, the road ahead of Lebanon continues to be long, arduous and fraught with difficulties before it can overcome the crisis. We are working with all our resources and determination to successfully achieve that. In that connection, our Government signed a preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund. From this rostrum, we pledge to advance all necessary legislative and administrative reforms in order to overcome the current crisis. We continue to count on the assistance of Lebanon’s international friends, most notably the sisterly Arab States. Lebanon, an Arab country by affiliation and identity and the co-founder of the League of Arab States, has great respect for the Arab States. Lebanon’s Arab affiliation and its commitment to Arab causes reflect the provisions of its Constitution and the Taif Agreement, which ended the bloody civil war that ravaged my country. I must reiterate our full commitment to the Taif Agreement, as well as our unwillingness to tolerate any attempt to undermine its provisions. We also reaffirm our commitment to our policy of non-alignment, which we have pursued on the same path as our previous Government, in an effort to protect our country as far as possible from adopting any position that it cannot sustain. The Lebanese Government also relies on the United Nations and its Member States, which through their commendable assistance to Lebanon have always emphasized that a capable and prosperous Lebanese State is urgently needed to ensure peace and security in the region and the world. In the context of efforts to address the economic crisis, our Government is also working on a financial and economic recovery plan that complements our cooperation with the International Monetary Fund. We are working on a package of comprehensive structural and sectoral reforms that meet the requirements of the Lebanese people and provide them with a social safety net. We are also developing laws that ensure absolute transparency and combat the scourge of corruption, which has been exacerbated as a result of the economic collapse. At the same time, we are working to revive the economy and to benefit from the many potential opportunities, especially with respect to the younger generations, for whom we are responsible. They are a beacon of hope for the success of a Lebanese economic model that is open to the world and offers it new opportunities. In that context, we appeal to sisterly and friendly countries to stand by Lebanon in its ongoing crisis and support us in overcoming it by addressing the serious repercussions of the crisis on the Lebanese people and the structure of the State. We look forward to reconvening the Friends of Lebanon Conference for Investment and Finance, which has long been hosted by France in cooperation with Lebanon’s friends and brothers. The existence of a sovereign and independent Lebanese State — that is strong and capable; protects the parliamentary democratic system and public and private freedoms; believes in tolerance, fraternity and convergence; and pursues its policy of non-alignment, rejecting the policy of axes — is urgently needed in order to ensure peace, security, stability and prosperity in the region. In addition, a strong central Government that ensures the rule of law and its proper application, as well as an enabling environment for businesses, productive sectors and services in all their diversity — in accordance with market standards, a free economy, current requirements, and the information and communication revolution — is urgently needed by the entire region and presents the best way for all of us to tackle the challenges of poverty, unemployment, extremism and terrorism and to avoid spiralling into the unknown. For more than a decade, Lebanon has been at the forefront of achieving the global public good by hosting a massive number of displaced Syrians. It is difficult to provide accurate figures of their number. Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, we have adopted an open- border policy based on our commitment to humanitarian considerations. However, the displacement crisis currently exceeds Lebanon’s capabilities. It is also important to emphasize that the Lebanese Constitution, with the consensus of all Lebanese people, prevents any integration or settlement on its territory. The only realistic sustainable solution is to achieve the safe and dignified return of Syrians to their country in the framework of a road map that we should start work on as soon as possible, with the cooperation of all parties. Additional qualitative assistance should also be provided to the Lebanese State and its various institutions and infrastructure, which have been overstretched by the large influx of displaced persons for more than 10 years. The Palestinian question remains the main obstacle to the achievement of peace and stability in the Middle East. The injustice against the Palestinian people must end. The independent Palestinian State, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, must be realized in keeping with all the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy, including resolution 194 (III), on the return of refugees to their homes. Concerning the Palestinian refugees, I would like to emphasize the central role played by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in serving the goals and purposes of the United Nations by helping to alleviate some of the suffering of Palestinian refugees and achieve a measure of regional development and stability. In that regard, we express our deep concern about the Agency’s critical financial situation and accumulated budget deficit, which jeopardize the delivery of its services. We also reiterate that Lebanon welcomes and supports all international efforts to bridge the deficit, as the primary challenge remains finding a sustainable solution to the funding gap. Lebanon has a long cultural history. Lebanon has always promoted a message of peace, tolerance and dialogue. Although my country is currently experiencing challenging times, those difficulties will not deter the Lebanese people from moving forward to achieving once again their prosperity and strengthen the pioneering role that Lebanon has always played internationally. We want Lebanon to be a place for convergence, not division. We want Lebanon to be a space for dialogue, not competition. We want it to be a spiritual custodian that brings together the values of the divine religions and the values of truth and justice in the world. I am confident that, with the unity of its people and the help of its brothers and friends, we can achieve what we want. In conclusion, I reiterate my gratitude to the United Nations for its continued cooperation and partnership with Lebanon and to all Member States that love and support Lebanon. I reiterate my call on everyone not to disassociate Lebanon from all the conflicts in the region and the world. The greater the challenges, the more we are willing to work together for the good of our people. The recent series of global crises have demonstrated the importance of international cooperation in addressing them, as most of them have become transboundary in nature. I would like to conclude by referring to the beginning of the United Nations, when it commenced its collective work in solidarity and complementarity for the benefit and well-being of humankind, based on justice, security, peace and sustainable development. We hope for a better world, especially in the Middle East region. I extend my best wishes to all members.