Post by *-kHaLeD-* on Nov 3, 2006 9:20:24 GMT 2
Commentary by By David Shearer Tuesday, September 26, 2006
I left Beirut last week feeling that in the few short months I was the
United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon , I witnessed the
Lebanese people in their very best light. Lebanon was my 11th assignment to
a humanitarian emergency. It is from that perspective that I judge recent
events in the country and how its people responded to the war with Israel .
When I arrived in July, with the conflict raging, 1 million people - nearly
a quarter of the country's population - were in flight, living in areas away
from the fighting and the air and artillery assault on their communities, to
the safety of Beirut, North Lebanon or Syria. Only weeks later, with the
cessation of hostilities on August 14, these same people were on the move
again, this time in a rush back to their homes, so many of which were
unfortunately found damaged or destroyed.
To my mind, the most intriguing thing about this large-scale migration was
just how orderly and without incident it was. What other country could
experience such a mass movement of its citizens in the heat of war and have
virtually no incidence of hunger, malnutrition or deadly disease? In my
experience, it's simply unprecedented.
For our part, the UN agencies and non-governmental organizations gave help
where needed - with food, water, medicine, tents, blankets and cooking
utensils, even some psychological support. We were also able - thanks to our
ability to communicate directly with the Israelis - to keep the humanitarian
convoys moving. Some 80 trucks and two ships, in all, continued to deliver
our relief supplies and those of the Lebanese government as well, even in
the heat of war.
But the true safety net in this emergency proved to be the Lebanese people,
themselves. Regardless of religion or ethnic background, families, even
whole communities, embraced those fleeing the fighting, taking them into
their homes and feeding and caring for them. To my mind, this is what
humanitarian assistance is all about, and the Lebanese people proved in
their compassion to be a model for the world.
It's now been just five weeks since the cessation of hostilities, and the
humanitarian relief phase is pretty much over. For the most part all who
needed food have been fed. Medicine chests in hospitals and clinics
throughout the country are now full. And while water distribution in the
South will continue for some weeks, government agencies, with the support of
the UN and NGOs, are hard at work repairing critical storage tanks and water
supply lines.
A few days ago I took a trip through South Lebanon . What was most amazing to
me was to see how much of the reconstruction process is already under way.
Lebanese communities have moved quickly to clean up the rubble of war. And
dozens of government work crews could be seen strung all along the roadways,
installing the new electrical lines and transformers that are quickly
returning light and heat to communities and schools and that will power the
generators and pumps to bring back regular supplies of water.
The reconstruction process will not happen overnight, particularly given the
large scale of destruction, and the lingering legacy of those 300,000-plus
cluster-bomb sub-munitions that will continue to endanger lives and
livelihoods for some time to come. But thanks to the $900 million committed
to recovery by donors at the Stockholm conference in early September, and
significant bilateral donations from Gulf countries and elsewhere, the
government and municipalities will have the resources in hand for a
well-planned recovery.
Humanitarian relief efforts can sometimes drag on too long and overstay
their need. This is one event in which the Lebanese people themselves helped
speed the relief phase. Our job is done, and I take my leave, comfortable in
the knowledge that the Lebanese government and its people, with the
continuing assistance of UN development agencies and NGOs, are moving ahead
confidently with the recovery process.
On a personal note, it has been an honor and a privilege for me to work with
the people of Lebanon in their time of crisis. They've taught me a lesson
about compassion and solidarity in the face of turmoil. I have no doubt that
their wonderful energy and sense of optimism will be the mortar for building
a better country than the one that has been so painfully damaged.
David Shearer was the UN humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon .
I left Beirut last week feeling that in the few short months I was the
United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon , I witnessed the
Lebanese people in their very best light. Lebanon was my 11th assignment to
a humanitarian emergency. It is from that perspective that I judge recent
events in the country and how its people responded to the war with Israel .
When I arrived in July, with the conflict raging, 1 million people - nearly
a quarter of the country's population - were in flight, living in areas away
from the fighting and the air and artillery assault on their communities, to
the safety of Beirut, North Lebanon or Syria. Only weeks later, with the
cessation of hostilities on August 14, these same people were on the move
again, this time in a rush back to their homes, so many of which were
unfortunately found damaged or destroyed.
To my mind, the most intriguing thing about this large-scale migration was
just how orderly and without incident it was. What other country could
experience such a mass movement of its citizens in the heat of war and have
virtually no incidence of hunger, malnutrition or deadly disease? In my
experience, it's simply unprecedented.
For our part, the UN agencies and non-governmental organizations gave help
where needed - with food, water, medicine, tents, blankets and cooking
utensils, even some psychological support. We were also able - thanks to our
ability to communicate directly with the Israelis - to keep the humanitarian
convoys moving. Some 80 trucks and two ships, in all, continued to deliver
our relief supplies and those of the Lebanese government as well, even in
the heat of war.
But the true safety net in this emergency proved to be the Lebanese people,
themselves. Regardless of religion or ethnic background, families, even
whole communities, embraced those fleeing the fighting, taking them into
their homes and feeding and caring for them. To my mind, this is what
humanitarian assistance is all about, and the Lebanese people proved in
their compassion to be a model for the world.
It's now been just five weeks since the cessation of hostilities, and the
humanitarian relief phase is pretty much over. For the most part all who
needed food have been fed. Medicine chests in hospitals and clinics
throughout the country are now full. And while water distribution in the
South will continue for some weeks, government agencies, with the support of
the UN and NGOs, are hard at work repairing critical storage tanks and water
supply lines.
A few days ago I took a trip through South Lebanon . What was most amazing to
me was to see how much of the reconstruction process is already under way.
Lebanese communities have moved quickly to clean up the rubble of war. And
dozens of government work crews could be seen strung all along the roadways,
installing the new electrical lines and transformers that are quickly
returning light and heat to communities and schools and that will power the
generators and pumps to bring back regular supplies of water.
The reconstruction process will not happen overnight, particularly given the
large scale of destruction, and the lingering legacy of those 300,000-plus
cluster-bomb sub-munitions that will continue to endanger lives and
livelihoods for some time to come. But thanks to the $900 million committed
to recovery by donors at the Stockholm conference in early September, and
significant bilateral donations from Gulf countries and elsewhere, the
government and municipalities will have the resources in hand for a
well-planned recovery.
Humanitarian relief efforts can sometimes drag on too long and overstay
their need. This is one event in which the Lebanese people themselves helped
speed the relief phase. Our job is done, and I take my leave, comfortable in
the knowledge that the Lebanese government and its people, with the
continuing assistance of UN development agencies and NGOs, are moving ahead
confidently with the recovery process.
On a personal note, it has been an honor and a privilege for me to work with
the people of Lebanon in their time of crisis. They've taught me a lesson
about compassion and solidarity in the face of turmoil. I have no doubt that
their wonderful energy and sense of optimism will be the mortar for building
a better country than the one that has been so painfully damaged.
David Shearer was the UN humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon .
