BEIRUT, March 15, 2022 (Xinhua) Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Tuesday asked the United Nations to support his country in the food security file to face the repercussions of the war in Ukraine.
This came according to a statement issued by the Lebanese Prime Minister during a meeting of Mikati with Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Muhammad.
Mikati asked the Deputy Secretary-General to “support Lebanon in the food security file, in accordance with the United Nations plan to confront the repercussions of the war in Ukraine on all countries, especially the countries of the region, including Lebanon.”
Mikati also asked the United Nations to “support Lebanon to face the multiple challenges resulting from the presence of displaced Syrians in Lebanon.”
The number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon is regarding 1.5 million, including 900,000 who are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and most of them suffer from difficult living conditions.
Mikati also asked the UN official to “support the United Nations for Lebanon with regard to the anti-corruption program and the recovery of public funds, since Lebanon is one of the countries that signed the program.”
Lebanon is communicating with several countries to secure additional quantities of wheat, including the United States, India and Turkey, to secure supplies for an additional month, for fear of the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, which has sparked panic in the markets and affected sea and air navigation, and for fear of the interruption of some basic foodstuffs, foremost of which is wheat. and oils.
It is noteworthy that Lebanon imports from Ukraine between 50 and 60 percent of its need of wheat, and the rest from Russia, Moldova and other countries, where the Lebanese market needs between 40 and 50 thousand tons of wheat per month.
Lebanon has been facing the worst economic and financial crisis in its history for two years, and the World Bank has ranked it among the three worst crises in the world since the mid-19th century, in addition to the Corona crisis and the repercussions of the Beirut port explosion.
The crisis led to the collapse of the Lebanese pound and the rise in the prices of various life materials by 400 percent, while the annual inflation recorded nearly 85 percent, and the poverty rate rose to 82 percent with the loss of hundreds of thousands of their jobs, the erosion of incomes and the decline in purchasing power with the lifting of official subsidies on materials Essentials, especially fuel, gas and medicine.
