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STORY: UN / LEBANON
TRT: 2:32
SOURCE: UNIFEED-UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 22 JUNE 2016, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UNHQ exterior
22 JUNE 2016, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, conference room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, United Nations:
“It’s like a man hanging on the twelfth floor of a build. The entire neighbourhood is looking at this man wondering when this man will fall and a few months later, the neighbourhood is still looking at this man and still wondering the same.”
4. Med shot, reporter
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, United Nations:
“The country is without a president for more than two years now. No one would have expected that it would be so long and there is absolutely no doubt that the resolution of this presidential vacuum is a priority because the absence of a president is impacting the smooth running of the institutions. And I would not use the word smooth today because with the absence of a president, the institutions are even more weakened.”
6. Med shot, cameraperson
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, United Nations:
“It is in the interest of no one to try to find out how far resilience can go because like any resilience it erodes and I think it is in none of our interests to find out where the tipping point of this resilience would be.”
8. Med shot, reporter
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, United Nations:
“Clearly there is no country in the world which alone can cope with so many challenges at the same time and this is also one of the reasons why the anxiety about the future of the country is very high also within the population.”
10. Wide shot, reporters
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, United Nations:
“I do believe that to address it that means we need to address pre-existing programmes while helping the country to mitigate the impact of the crisis. We need to have comprehensive and multi-faceted economic approach in the country. We as members of the international community certainly have to show more risk sharing with the country because if we do not do this, we take the risk of a country on the edge of imploding.”
12. Zoom out, conference room
United Nations Deputy Coordinator for Lebanon Philippe Lazzarini said it was in no one’s interest to see how far the country’s resilience can go.
Speaking to reporters in New York today (22 Jun) Lazzarini said when he first took the job as deputy coordinator, Lebanon was described to him as a miracle which was known for managing crisis on the edge. He said no country in the world would be able to cope with all the challenges Lebanon was facing at the same time. These include extremely high national debt, a failing economy, skyrocketing unemployment, as well as over 1.5 million refugees.
Lazzarini said filling the presidential void in the country was a priority as other institutions were severely affected by the vacuum. He said the government has difficulties in taking decisions and any minister has veto right, and the parliament is not legislating both due to the lack of a president.
The Deputy Coordinator said the international community has to look outside the traditional means of relief and development to help Lebanon. This includes continuing pre-existing programmes while helping the country face the impact of in crises.
