The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed today a new agreement to expand support for the environment and local communities in Lebanon.
The agreement outlines the Kuwait Fund’s commitment to provide $2.5 million support to UNDP Lebanon efforts to strengthen solid waste management, as a means of improving environmental, health and social outcomes at local levels across the country. Solid waste management is a key pillar of public health and environmental sustainability in Lebanon, and supports social stability.
Entitled ‘Stabilization through Solid Waste Management Projects in Lebanon,’ the agreement between Kuwait Fund and UNDP will seek to address the mounting waste management challenges faced by the country, with the establishment of a new solid waste management facility, and the environmentally sound closure of an illegal dumpsite which has been linked to environmental and health hazards.
KFAED noted that “The Project aims to contribute to the protection of the environment and the preservation of public health through the management of solid waste in the areas hosting high concentrations of Syrian Refugees and local residents in coordination with the concerned municipalities in these areas to work on mitigating the effects of pollutants resulting from the accumulation of such waste, in particular reducing groundwater pollution and preserving the natural environment in the areas surrounding solid waste landfills. The project will also provide economic opportunities for local communities and enhance stability.”
“Improving solid waste management is key to strengthening inclusive service delivery, and addressing critical environmental and health hazards which further compound the multifaceted crisis facing the country,” said Khalida Bouzar, Assistant Secretary General and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States, UNDP. “As UNDP we are grateful that our partners at the Kuwait Fund are joining us in supporting Lebanon to tackle solid waste challenges and boost environmental, health and social outcomes in hard-hit areas across the country.”
This agreement in support of Lebanon represents the first contribution from the Kuwait Fund in support of UNDP programming following the 5 May 2021 signing of a global Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions. The MoU calls for scaled-up support at the humanitarian-development-peace nexus and for the communities hardest hit by crisis around the world.