President of the Republic on Wednesday met with National Defense Minister, Maurice Sleem, at Baabda Palace.

The meeting tackled general affairs and the latest political developments, in addition to the security situation and the needs of institutions affiliated with the Ministry of Defense, as well as the situation of the Military Council after the cabinet appointed two members in it.

Military and social conditions, and the need to provide the necessary financial support were also addressed.

UN Deputy Special Coordinator:

President Aoun received the UN Deputy Special Coordinator in Lebanon, the Resident Coordinator for United Nations Activities and Humanitarian Coordinator, Dr. Najat Rushdie.

The most important points contained in the “UN Strategic Framework for the years 2022-2026”, and the areas through which the United Nations intends to support for the Lebanese government and the Lebanese people, in addition to the expected results of the aid and programs provided were tackled in the meeting.

Dr. Rushdie noted that “The framework describes the unified vision of the various members of the UN family in Lebanon to support Lebanon’s priorities in security, politics, human rights, development and humanitarian affairs”.

For his side, President Aoun expressed his appreciation for the role played by the United Nations to help Lebanon overcome its economic, social and life crises, praising in particular “The great effort made by Dr. Rushdie, especially in terms of coordinating the work of about 26 United Nations agencies, programs and funds in Lebanon”.

Moreover, President Aoun hoped that the framework would be fruitful, especially in light of the great challenges that Lebanon is facing at various levels, especially in the sectors of education, health and hospitalization, in addition to the suffering of the private sector, as a result of the current economic and financial crisis, “Which constitute priorities that must be worked on”.

Statement:

After the meeting, Dr. Rushdi made the following statement:

“I met with His Excellency the President and his team, to present to him the “new framework of the United Nations” with regard to development priorities for the next three years, because for Lebanon, we are not only talking about humanitarian aid, but also support for the private sector and economic and social recovery services.

His Excellency the President was clear in his directives regarding priorities, as it is important for him to support basic services for the Lebanese people, including the health and education sectors, in addition to the energy sector, so that all Lebanese men and women are assured of basic services and work to revive the private sector, with the aim of creating job opportunities that contribute to the economic recovery as a whole.

For us, these are clear directives, and we will start working with the government and parliament in the coming weeks and months so that we can finish this framework so that it will be the pillar of the United Nations’ support for the Lebanese state”.

Questions & Answers:

In response to a question about whether this framework would lead to stopping or easing the aid provided by the United Nations in general to Lebanon, Dr. Rushdie replied: “The United Nations never stops the aid it provides, and as long as it started providing it, this means that there are needs for it. Today there is no way to stop it, and what concerns us, according to the directives of His Excellency the President, is not to talk only about humanitarian aid, but to go beyond it and move in a development sector, so that many resources that citizens need for the purpose of development are secured, such as education, which constitutes the future of the country, as well as health, so that citizens can obtain medicine and health services, because if the patient is unable to obtain medicine, this does not help in building a future for the country.

In this regard, we continue our consultations with the government, parliament, civil and international society, and the private sector”.

US Ambassador:

President Aoun received the US Ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea, and discussed with her the Lebanese-US relations, the recent international developments and the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The stages that the file of demarcation of the southern maritime borders has gone through were also addressed.