Vice Minister Emanuela Del Re spoke at the video conference organised by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on the humanitarian situation in Lebanon. The meeting was chaired by Mark Lowcock, Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and introduced by Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Najat Rochdi, UN Deputy Special Coordinator, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, gave a briefing on the situation in Beirut and the latest updates from the country.
In her speech, the Vice Minister reiterated Italy’s full solidarity with Lebanon and the city of Beirut, which has been so severely hit by the explosion on 4th August, that has aggravated the humanitarian situation in Lebanon, which is already particularly complex. “Italians are shocked and worried and are at the side of the Lebanese people – Del Re affirmed – We have prepared an immediate humanitarian response”.
The Vice Minister then recalled the humanitarian flights of 5th and 6th August carried out in coordination with the Civil Protection and the Ministry of Defence which, from Italy, transported CBRN experts (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) and Fire Brigade experts of the evaluation of structural instability, as well as 8.5 tons of medical supplies for the most urgent needs. “We are ready to further increase our response to the requests and appeals of the UN agencies, the Red Cross and the International Red Crescent – she stressed – and we are evaluating further possible allocations”.
