December 4, 2021
Lebanon launches cash card aid, despite funding shortfall
700,000 Children In Lebanon Can’t Afford School Anymore
Three Lebanese Judges Resign Due To Political Interference In The Judiciary
Lebanon launches cash card aid, despite funding shortfall
Following months of delays, and with only some of the funding secured, Lebanon on Wednesday opened registration for two cash assistance programmes to help 700,000 vulnerable families cope with the withdrawal of crucial subsidies. Social Affairs Minister Hector Hajjar said at the launch event at the Grand Serail in downtown Beirut, where Prime Minister Najib Mikati, lawmakers, and diplomats were in attendance, that the cash assistance initiatives are only meant to provide temporary relief. [Al Jazeera]
RESPONSE
“The World Bank has registration criteria and transparent oversight mechanisms to make certain that the cash card program truly assists the most vulnerable Lebanese and is free from political interference and patronage from corrupt civil servants or politicians. It is a shame that it is taking parliament so long to establish a cash assistance program that meets these simple criteria. Meanwhile the Lebanese people continue to suffer with nearly a third of the population unable to properly feed themselves. The 2022 elections continue to bring hope to the Lebanese people that anti-corruption figures are elected from the opposition. In the meantime, parliament should show the Lebanese people it can address their needs.”
-ATFL President Edward M. Gabriel
700,000 Children In Lebanon Can’t Afford School Anymore
On World Children’s Day, November 23rd, UNICEF released a report on a survey conducted in Lebanon showing the worsening impact of the crisis on children. With no sign of betterment in Lebanon’s economy, the impact on children is progressively worsening. A recent poll showed an increase in the number of children going hungry, having to work to support their family, and not getting access to decent healthcare. According to recent UNICEF figures, 3 in 10 households have cut expenses on education while 4 in 10 had to sell household items to buy basic goods, and 7 in 10 are having to buy food on credit or borrow money. [The 961]
RESPONSE
“When I was young, education in Lebanon was considered world class and so my Lebanese-American parents wanted their children to benefit from the great education system in both countries. They wanted their children to attend primary school in the US and secondary school in Lebanon. Lebanese, then and now, have always viewed providing their children with the best possible education as a duty. Families in Lebanon today are being deprived of this basic and essential right. Lebanon’s star has lost its luster as the beacon of education and the source of so many skilled people working throughout the world. I never came to Lebanon for school, it was too unstable. Then as now, the price of political paralysis is a generational loss of talent.”
-ATFL Vice President for Policy Jean AbiNader
Three Lebanese Judges Resign Due To Political Interference In The Judiciary
Three senior Lebanese female judges have resigned over interference by politicians in the work of the judiciary, including the Beirut Blast Investigation. In a country where political leaders undermine the legal system and determine judicial appointments based on their loyalty rather than effectiveness, there is little room for the judiciary to properly work, especially when it comes to Lebanon’s ruling class. [The 961]
RESPONSE
“The assault on the judiciary continues. Through intimidation, threats, slander, and other means, judges are being coerced to either leave or comply with political dictates. Lebanon cannot achieve maturity as a government operating under rule of law without an independent and functioning judicial system. It is not just Judge Tarek Bitar and the Beirut Port explosion; it is a confusing and deprecating sectarian system that works against the Lebanese as a people free to exercise basic rights guaranteed in Lebanon’s constitution and international declarations which it has signed.”
-ATFL Vice President for Policy Jean AbiNader
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the American Task Force on Lebanon, a non-profit, nonpartisan leadership organization of Lebanese-Americans.