British Ambassador Dr Ian Collard visited projects funded by the
UK as part of its response to the devastating Beirut Port blast
back in August 2020.
On Tuesday 21 June, the British Ambassador to Lebanon, Dr Ian
Collard, and the British Embassy’s Development and Humanitarian
Director, Lucy Andrews, visited projects funded by the UK as part
of its response to the devastating Beirut Port blast back in
August 2020.
Ambassador Collard visited two of the 43 businesses supported by
the UK through the Lebanon Host Communities Support Programme
(LHSP) in partnership with the Ministry of Social Affairs and
Berytech, under the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan framework. This
funding has helped to restore livelihoods by supporting the
recovery of Micro and Small Enterprises affected by the
explosion, including through cash grants and business development
support. This project secured the retention of more than 300 jobs
and is supporting plans to hire an additional 100 employees.
At the port of Beirut, UNDP partners briefed Ambassador Collard
on the work being done with the Beirut Port Silos Authorities to
support the recovery of the port’s operations. UK support is
contributing to organising and improving the off-loading of wheat
and other grains through the provision of necessary machinery.
The UK was amongst the first to respond to the August 2020 Beirut
port explosion and has spent $22 million to date.
Furthermore, the UK has been one of LHSP’s primary supporters,
providing $94 million since 2014 for host communities and
vulnerable refugees across Lebanon, delivering better public
services and infrastructure to over 2220 municipalities and over
1 million beneficiaries.
At the end of the visit Ambassador Collard said:
As I approach the end of my tour in Lebanon, I’m delighted to
visit once again projects the UK is supporting.
As we approach the second anniversary of the tragic port
explosion in August 2020, I’m back at the port today, this time
to see how UK support is helping with the recovery of the port’s
operations.
The UK renews its continued call to ensure the successful
conclusion of a fair and transparent investigation and proper
accountability for the Beirut Blast. This is the only way to
bring closure to the victims, their families and the people of
Lebanon.
I also had the opportunity to visit two of the 43 businesses in
Gemmayze affected by the blast that we’re supporting through the
Lebanon Host Communities Support Programme. It was important to
see and hear from people and partners the challenges faced in
difficult economic times and the positive impact our projects are
having. It was heart-warming to hear from Café owner Nabil and
Wissam ready to re-open his boutique hotel, their road to
recovery.
