The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, sounded the alarm on Friday over Lebanon’s situation becoming uncontrollable and urged the government to make reforms.
“This situation is fast spiraling out of control, with many already destitute and facing starvation as a direct result of this crisis,” she said in a statement, reported AFP.
She addressed the unemployment problem in Lebanon and said that an “unemployment crisis would propel poverty and indebtedness with grave implications in a country with fragile social nets.”
Earlier this year, a Lebanese research company had estimated around 1 million unemployed people in Lebanon by the end of 2020.
“Bachelet warned of the crippling impact of the socio-economic crisis on Lebanon’s population [and] urged [the Lebanese government], political parties, and financial sector to work together to ensure the protection of the poorest and most vulnerable,” reported Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr on Twitter.
The UN Official concluded by calling on the Lebanese government to intervene.
“Without strengthened social safety nets and bolstered basic assistance to ease the pain caused by required structural reform, vulnerable Lebanese, migrant workers, and refugees will be pushed further into poverty and extreme poverty,” she stressed.
This week, France, Italy, the United States, and Egypt have clearly expressed their support and desire to help Lebanon.
#Lebanon: Vulnerable Lebanese, in addition to other vulnerable groups such as refugees and migrant workers, are increasingly unable to meet their basic needs … "This situation is fast spiralling out of control," UN's Bachelet said. https://t.co/NpO673usXB pic.twitter.com/R4MRYYJR6E
— Linda Hemby (@LindaHemby) July 10, 2020
On Wednesday, France also urged Lebanon to help itself and make the reforms needed in order to receive international financial support.
However, the IMF talks in Lebanon are currently on hold as both sides are unable to bring these sessions to a constructive result once and for all.
The IMF has in fact accused the Lebanese government of lacking seriousness. “You don’t have two weeks!” has snapped the IMF expert at Riad Salameh who reportedly presented him with confusing figures of losses.
That was a week ago, during which the Lebanese finance minister went on also to declare his refusal of an in-depth forensic audit of the central bank.
While that “cold war” continues at that level, the people’s suffering is increasing exponentially, and Lebanon is collapsing…
