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STORY: UN / LEBANON HUMANITARIAN INTERVIEW
TRT: 5:13
SOURCE: UN NEWS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 22 AUGUST 2024, NEW YORK / FILE
FILE – UNIFIL - 24 JULY 2024, KFAR KILA AND EL ADEISSA TOWNS, SOUTH LEBANON
1. Various shots, views of destroyed buildings from UN vehicle
22 AUGUST 2024, NEW YORK
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Fadel Saleh, Humanitarian Affairs Officer in Lebanon, Humanitarian Access and Civil and Military Coordination, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“The situation does remain dire. And unless there is a significant increase in humanitarian funding and improved humanitarian access, many needs will go and will continue to go unmet and exasperating the already suffering civilians in these areas.”
FILE – UNIFIL - 24 JULY 2024, KFAR KILA AND EL ADEISSA TOWNS, SOUTH LEBANON
3. Various shots, views of destroyed buildings from UN vehicle
22 AUGUST 2024, NEW YORK
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Fadel Saleh, Humanitarian Affairs Officer in Lebanon, Humanitarian Access and Civil and Military Coordination, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“Overall homes and critical infrastructure, including water facilities, markets and farms, have also been severely damaged that are also leaving tens of thousands of people without access to basic services. we also have the water supply that has been particularly hit very hard, with damage to key facilities that has been reported, resulting in at least 200,000 people lacking access to clean water and with an increased likelihood and risk of disease outbreaks in these areas.”
FILE – UNIFIL - 24 JULY 2024, KFAR KILA AND EL ADEISSA TOWNS, SOUTH LEBANON
6. Various shots, views of destroyed buildings from UN vehicle
22 AUGUST 2024, NEW YORK
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Fadel Saleh, Humanitarian Affairs Officer in Lebanon, Humanitarian Access and Civil and Military Coordination, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“In anticipation of potential escalations, the humanitarian community in Lebanon has developed a contingency plan that is addressing two scenarios. One is an uncontrolled conflict which could impact up to a million people, and a controlled conflict that could impact or affect 250,000 people. This plan supports the preparedness and response efforts that is being led by the Lebanese government. But also ensuring that we continue to deliver essential aid and services to the most vulnerable, including women, children and refugees. The humanitarian community, in coordination with the Government of Lebanon, are also identifying additional sites that could be used as collective shelters across the country as the number of displaced individuals increase. And finally, we are coordinating closely with the Lebanese government. A large amount of the partners and other partners to ensure that aid is distributed effectively, even in the most challenging circumstances, that we may be facing them on the ground.”
09 JULY 2024, SHEBAA TOWN, SOUTHEAST LEBANON
8. Various shots, doctor talking to patient
22 AUGUST 2024, NEW YORK
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Fadel Saleh, Humanitarian Affairs Officer in Lebanon, Humanitarian Access and Civil and Military Coordination, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“The recent escalation has significantly disrupted protection programs, particularly in the south of Lebanon. Access to affected areas has been constrained due to the ongoing hostilities, making it difficult to conduct assessments and needs assessment specifically, but also deliver essential services. This disruption has also had a profound effect and impact on vulnerable groups, including women, children and refugees who rely on these protection programs for support.
There is an alarming rise in the protection concerns and particularly for vulnerable groups, such as women, children, refugees and migrant workers. The overcrowding in some of these collective shelters, given the increase in the numbers of displaced individuals, are often lacking adequate sanitation as well as privacy, and that have also led to an increase in the time, the number of risks or the potential risks of gender-based violence. Women's access to essential to essential sexual and reproductive health services have also drastically reduced in these areas.”
15 JULY 2024, TYRE, SOUTH LEBANON
10. Various shots, UNIFIL peacekeepers providing medical care
22 AUGUST 2024, NEW YORK
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Fadel Saleh, Humanitarian Affairs Officer in Lebanon, Humanitarian Access and Civil and Military Coordination, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“We urgently need additional support from the international community to meet the growing needs, particularly in southern Lebanon, where the impact of conflict has been most severe. As a humanitarian country, we are asking, and we need $110 million to finance the ongoing response for up to 290,000 conflict affected people in Lebanon from August 2024 through the end of the year. In terms of preparedness, we're calling for an additional $36.4 million to pre-positioned food, water, medicines and non-food items such as hygiene kits and shelter materials for immediate use in case of an escalation.”
15 JULY 2024, TYRE, SOUTH LEBANON
10. Various shots, UNIFIL peacekeepers providing medical care
Official from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Lebanon, Fadel Saleh said, “The situation does remain dire. And unless there is a significant increase in humanitarian funding and improved humanitarian access, many needs will go and will continue to go unmet and exasperating the already suffering civilians.”
In an interview today (22 Aug), Saleh spoke from Beirut via video link. He said that the conflict having a profound and widespread impact on civilians, particularly in the southern part of Lebanon and in south Lebanon.
He said, “Overall homes and critical infrastructure, including water facilities, markets and farms, have also been severely damaged that are also leaving tens of thousands of people without access to basic services.”
Saleh added, “we also have the water supply that has been particularly hit very hard, with damage to key facilities that has been reported, resulting in at least 200,000 people lacking access to clean water and with an increased likelihood and risk of disease outbreaks in these areas.”
In anticipation of potential escalations, the OCHA official said that “the humanitarian community in Lebanon has developed a contingency plan that is addressing two scenarios”
He explained, “One is an uncontrolled conflict which could impact up to a million people, and a controlled conflict that could impact or affect 250,000 people. This plan supports the preparedness and response efforts that is being led by the Lebanese government. But also ensuring that we continue to deliver essential aid and services to the most vulnerable, including women, children and refugees.”
Saleh continued, “The humanitarian community, in coordination with the Government of Lebanon, are also identifying additional sites that could be used as collective shelters across the country as the number of displaced individuals increase.”
“And finally, we are coordinating closely with the Lebanese government. A large amount of the partners and other partners to ensure that aid is distributed effectively, even in the most challenging circumstances, that we may be facing them on the ground,” the OCHA official said.
“The recent escalation has significantly disrupted protection programs, particularly in the south of Lebanon,” Saleh noted.
He said, “Access to affected areas has been constrained due to the ongoing hostilities, making it difficult to conduct assessments and needs assessment specifically, but also deliver essential services.”
The OCHA official further explained, “This disruption has also had a profound effect and impact on vulnerable groups, including women, children and refugees who rely on these protection programs for support.”
“There is an alarming rise in the protection concerns and particularly for vulnerable groups, such as women, children, refugees and migrant workers,” Saleh stated.
He said, “The overcrowding in some of these collective shelters, given the increase in the numbers of displaced individuals, are often lacking adequate sanitation as well as privacy, and that have also led to an increase in the time, the number of risks or the potential risks of gender-based violence.”
“Women's access to essential to essential sexual and reproductive health services have also drastically reduced in these areas,” Saleh also highlighted.
The OCHA official reiterated that the most urgent needs right now are increased funding and access to deliver humanitarian assistance to the affected populations.
He said, “We urgently need additional support from the international community to meet the growing needs, particularly in southern Lebanon, where the impact of conflict has been most severe. As a humanitarian country, we are asking, and we need $110 million to finance the ongoing response for up to 290,000 conflict affected people in Lebanon from August 2024 through the end of the year.”
In terms of preparedness, OCHA also is calling for an additional $36.4 million to “pre-positioned food, water, medicines and non-food items such as hygiene kits and shelter materials for immediate use in case of an escalation,” the OCHA official concluded.
