Assistance for reconstruction and development of Lebanon – ECOSOC debate – Provisional summary record (excerpts)

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

Substantive session of 1995

PROVISIONAL SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 47th MEETING

Held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva,

on Friday, 21 July 1995, at 10 a.m.

President:  Mr. KAMAL  (Pakistan)

later:  Mr. TEJERA-PARIS  (Venezuela)

(Vice-President)

later:  Mr. PAPADATOS  (Greece)

(Vice-President)

CONTENTS

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SOCIAL, HUMANITARIAN AND HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTIONS:  REPORTS OF SUBSIDIARY BODIES, CONFERENCES AND RELATED QUESTIONS:

(a) SPECIAL ECONOMIC, HUMANITARIAN AND DISASTER RELIEF ASSISTANCE

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Corrections to this record should be submitted in one of the working languages.  They should be set forth in a memorandum and also incorporated in a copy of the record.  They should be sent within one week of the date of this document to the Official Records Editing Section, room E.4108, Palais des Nations, Geneva.

The meeting was called to order at 10.20 a.m.

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SOCIAL, HUMANITARIAN AND HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTIONS:  REPORTS OF SUBSIDIARY BODIES, CONFERENCES AND RELATED QUESTIONS (agenda item 5)

(a) SPECIAL ECONOMIC, HUMANITARIAN AND DISASTER RELIEF ASSISTANCE (A/50/203-E/1995/79 and Add.1, A/50/292-E/1995/115, E/1995/53)

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Miss JARF (Observer for the Syrian Arab Republic) …

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Turning to the report on assistance for the reconstruction and development of Lebanon (E/1995/53), which referred to the good performance of the Lebanese economy and the growing trust in the ability of its Government which was reflected in the increasing number of donors, she welcomed the response of the United Nations system, including the involvement of NGOs, and agreed with the importance attached to the role of the Resident Coordinator.

Serious difficulties continued, however, to confront Lebanon in its attempts to build up its capacity and embark on a process of sustainable development, and her delegation believed there was a continuing need for assistance to that country.  It hoped, therefore, that the Council would unanimously adopt the draft resolution calling on Member States and all organizations in the United Nations system to redouble their efforts to promote the reconstruction and development of Lebanon.

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Mr. EL KHAZEN (Observer for Lebanon) said that the Secretary-General had submitted a detailed and objective report (E/1995/53) on rehabilitation efforts and needs in Lebanon which was seeking to overcome its problems in full cooperation with the United Nations.  His Government had established its authority over most of the country, with the exception of the occupied sectors of the western Bekaa and the south.  Lebanon has regained political stability which had enabled it to begin to recover from the effects of war.

His Government had accorded priority to rebuilding essential infrastructures such as electricity, telephone and water-supply networks.  Major construction contracts had been signed for that purpose as well as for work on Beirut International Airport and other projects in Beirut.  It sought to stabilize the rate of exchange of the Lebanese pound and reverse the flight of capital abroad, was working develop the health infrastructure and trying to rehouse approximately 500,000 displaced persons in their original villages.  However, its efforts were being hampered by Israel's continued occupation of parts of southern Lebanon and the western Bekaa.

The return of the United Nations and its specialized agencies had helped considerably to restore confidence in the country, and he thanked the agencies, particularly UNDP, for their support and the Secretary-General for the efforts he was making to provide Lebanon with the assistance it needed at the current juncture in its history.  The Lebanese authorities were cooperating fully with the United Nations International Drug Control Programme to combat the cultivation and processing of and trafficking in narcotic substances.  Farmers had been encouraged to grow alternative crops and those who trafficked in narcotic substances had been apprehended and subjected to the maximum legal sanctions.

Lebanon required extensive resources for its reconstruction efforts, and its modest capabilities would not permit it to undertake such efforts on its own.  His delegation thus called on the international community and the specialized agencies to mobilize all possible resources so that Lebanon could continue its drive for reconstruction and development.

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The meeting rose at 1.10 p.m.