The donors’ conference that was held today to solicit aid for Lebanon has amassed a significant sum of money from various countries.
The UN noted during the conference, which it co-hosted with France on Sunday, that $66.3 million were needed for immediate humanitarian aid for Lebanon and that $50.6 million would be necessary for the second phase of the aid.
After the event was over, French President Emmanuel Macron’s Office revealed that the participant countries had pledged a total of nearly €253 million for immediate relief, equivalent to about $298 million.
Over 30 countries from around the world contributed to the sum, which will be “directly channeled to the people, to NGOs, to the teams in the field who need it, without any possible opacity or diversion,” President Macron had said during the event.
In addition to France, the donors included Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, the UAE, the US, Britain, China, Turkey, Russia, and numerous other countries, many of which have already contributed to the ongoing humanitarian relief efforts in Lebanon.
The immediate relief projects that this money will be used for will include providing medicine, care, food, and housing for the individuals affected by the blast that tore through Beirut on August 4th.
Health services will be provided for the injured, emergency shelters will be made available for those who have been displaced, and food will be distributed to those who need it, in accordance with the “emergency response framework,” drafted by the UN.
Part of the money will also be allocated to support programs that aim to prevent further spread of COVID-19 in Lebanon, especially considering that the Lebanese government lifted the pandemic-induced lockdown after the explosion.
On that note, the Ministry of Public Health confirmed 294 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday—a record-high for Lebanon’s daily case numbers.
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