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STORY: UN / LEBANON WOMEN GIRLS
TRT: 4:54
SOURCE: UNIFEED / FILE
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNFPA ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 08 APRIL 2026, NEW YORK CITY / 07 APRIL 2026, BEIRUT, LEBANON
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
08 APRIL 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Laila Baker, Regional Director (Arab States), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA):
“There are now over 1.2 million people who've been displaced. 1.2 million is one in five Lebanese, and they have been displaced in the proportions of 620,000 women and girls. That means that half of the displaced are women and girls, and they have nowhere safe to turn. I met mothers fleeing under the bombardment, carrying their children with nothing but the clothes on their back. Pregnant women who spoke of searching desperately for care under the fire or giving birth in shelters without support or privacy.”
4. Wide shot, press briefing room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Laila Baker, Regional Director (Arab States), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA):
“UNFPA estimates within those 620,000 women have been displaced, 13,500 pregnant women are now amongst them. And in southern Lebanon, 1,700 women who are pregnant at the moment are cut off from any essential maternal care. 200 of them will give birth in the next 30 days, and they no longer have access to midwives, health care, health facilities or adequate support.”
6. Wide shot, press briefing room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Laila Baker, Regional Director (Arab States), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA):
“At the same time, Lebanon's health system is currently under attack, and in the past month, more than 90 incidents have targeted health facilities, personnel and ambulances. Six hospitals have closed, five of them which have maternity wards. 16 facilities are damaged, 52 primary health care centres are no longer functioning. And these are not just statistics. They're grave violations of international humanitarian law and a direct assault on life, health and dignity.”
8. Wide shot, press briefing room
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Laila Baker, Regional Director (Arab States), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA):
“But this is not only a humanitarian crisis, it's a crisis of humanity. It's a crisis of trust in the international system and in the principles that protect civilians. Indiscriminate attacks, collective punishment and violations of Lebanon's sovereignty are not abstract concerns. They are lived realities for the population here. There's an urgent need to rebuild a rights-based order grounded in dignity, justice and accountability. And central to this effort must be a unified national response that strengthens the institutions and restores confidence in the government.”
10. Wide shot, press briefing room
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Laila Baker, Regional Director (Arab States), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA):
“At its core, this must be the protection of the health and well-being of women and girls who faced heightened risks of violence, exploitation and neglect. Their protection is non-negotiable. Access to maternal, sexual and reproductive health care and protection from violence are not optional. They are lifesaving. And UNFPA is working on the ground with the Government of Lebanon, all of our partners, and together we're delivering emergency response care on maternal health, clinical management of rape and psychosocial support to those women and their families. We've deployed mobile units, midwives have been mobilized, and social workers are supporting the shelters across the country.”
12. Wide shot, press briefing room
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Laila Baker, Regional Director (Arab States), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA):
“UNFPA’s 12 million US dollars flash appeal is only 12 percent funded at the moment. Without injured support, essential health care services will shut down by mid-April, leaving more than 225,000 women and girls without critical care.”
14. Wide shot, press briefing room
UNFPF – 07 APRIL 2026, WATA EL MOSSAYTBEH PUBLIC SCHOOL, BEIRUT, LEBANON
15. Wide shot, exterior of the school
16. Med shot, school signage
17. Wide shot, school courtyard
18. Wide shot, school courtyard
19. Wide shot, two girls walking across the courtyard
20. Med shot, rain water on the ground
21. Wide shot, entrance of the school building
22. Med shot, displaced people sitting on mattresses
23. Close up, a baby
24. Various shots, Laila Baker, UNFPA Regional Director for Arab States, meeting with displaced people
25. Various shots, displaced women and children in the shelter
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) senior official Laila Baker told reporters that one in five people in Lebanon has been displaced, amongst them 620,000 are women and girls. She said, "this is not only a humanitarian crisis, it's a crisis of humanity."
Speaking to reporters today (8 Apr) via video link from Beirut, Baker said that there are now over 1.2 million Lebanese people have been displaced due to recent escalation, in the proportions of 620,000 are women and girls.
Recalling her visit to the country for the past few days, Baker said she met mothers fleeing under the bombardment, carrying their children with nothing but the clothes on their back. Pregnant women who spoke of searching desperately for care under the fire or giving birth in shelters without support or privacy.
UNFPA estimates within those 620,000 women have been displaced, 13,500 pregnant women are now amongst them, the UNFPA Regional Director said, adding that in southern Lebanon, “1,700 women who are pregnant at the moment are cut off from any essential maternal care. 200 of them will give birth in the next 30 days, and they no longer have access to midwives, health care, health facilities or adequate support.”
Baker also highlighted that Lebanon's health system is currently under attack, “and in the past month, more than 90 incidents have targeted health facilities, personnel and ambulances. Six hospitals have closed, five of them which have maternity wards. 16 facilities are damaged, 52 primary health care centres are no longer functioning.”
The UNFPA official reiterated, “these are not just statistics. They're grave violations of international humanitarian law and a direct assault on life, health and dignity.”
Baker also warned, “this is not only a humanitarian crisis, it's a crisis of humanity. It's a crisis of trust in the international system and in the principles that protect civilians,” adding that “indiscriminate attacks, collective punishment and violations of Lebanon's sovereignty are not abstract concerns. They are lived realities for the population here.”
The Regional Director also said, “There's an urgent need to rebuild a rights-based order grounded in dignity, justice and accountability. And central to this effort must be a unified national response that strengthens the institutions and restores confidence in the government.”
Baker also said, “At its core, this must be the protection of the health and well-being of women and girls who faced heightened risks of violence, exploitation and neglect, reiterating that “their protection is non-negotiable. Access to maternal, sexual and reproductive health care and protection from violence are not optional. They are lifesaving.”
The UNFPA official said the Fund is working on the ground with the Government of Lebanon, and all its partners, and “together we're delivering emergency response care on maternal health, clinical management of rape and psychosocial support to those women and their families. We've deployed mobile units, midwives have been mobilized, and social workers are supporting the shelters across the country,” she added.
Baker also said, “UNFPA’s 12 million US dollars flash appeal is only 12 percent funded at the moment. Without injured support, essential health care services will shut down by mid-April, leaving more than 225,000 women and girls without critical care.”
