The United Nations and namely its office of the Special Coordinator for Lebanon have not shied away from expressing their utter discontent with the situation in Lebanon since the onset of the revolution.
From the delays in Lebanon’s government formation, the chaos, and the violence used by Lebanese Security Forces against protesters and media personnel, they have expressed their complete conviction that the financial and political crises in Lebanon are completely the politicians’ fault.
In official statements, and through his official Twitter account, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis has expressed these messages explicitly.
Meeting with leaders across the country, the UNSCOL has voiced the United Nations’ concerns since day one of the revolution.
With the formation of Hassan Diab’s government just days ago, the UN is taking a more positive stance. The Spokesman for UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, issued an official statement on January 23, 2020, that reads as follows:
“The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement of the formation of a new Government of Lebanon today. He looks forward to working with Prime Minister Hassan Diab and the incoming Council of Ministers, including in support of Lebanon’s reform agenda and to address the pressing needs of its people.”
The message further stated:
“The Secretary-General reiterates the United Nations commitment to support Lebanon’s strengthening of its sovereignty, stability, and political independence, in accordance with the Taif Accord and Baabda declaration, and its effective implementation of Security Council resolutions 1701 (2006), 1559 (2004) and other relevant resolutions which remain essential to the stability of Lebanon and the region.”
As the country continues to scramble, and Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s government and commitments are still put into question, the reality is that this government is currently under test.
It is under test by the Lebanese public, the international community, and the United Nations alike. After a completely painful experience having a former Minister represent Lebanon at the World Economic Forum, one can only hope we will have a representative of the people next year.
