UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon hopes president election will 'kick-start reforms'

The Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert welcomed the election of Joseph Aoun as Lebanon’s new President, expressing hope that it would act as "the kick-start Lebanon desperately needs for institution-strengthening and the enactment of critical reforms".

Noting the steep drop-off in violence following the entry into force of the cessation of hostilities on 27 November, Hennis-Plasschaert relayed Monday that some progress was being made with respect to Israeli withdrawal from and Lebanese redeployment to positions in southern Lebanon, while adding that more works needed to be done.

She further stressed that, with two-thirds of the 60-day period outlined in the 27 November understanding lapsed, "we are in the final, and therefore, most critical, stage". As such, Hennis-Plasschaert called on all parties to ensure that the "clock does not run out" without a "common and clear understanding of where things stand, or how to manage expectations".

In parallel, and recalling that inaction following the 2006 conflict had led only to a new cycle of violence and devastation, the Special Coordinator stressed the need to also look beyond the 60 days, in order to begin the tough discussions on "how resolution 1701, this time around, will be implemented on both sides of the Blue Line, and, in Lebanon, beyond both banks of the Litani river".

In a context of persistent humanitarian needs, the Special Coordinator stressed that the Flash Appeal, which she noted had been extended to cover the period January to March 2025, was in need of a "major boost" in support. Moreover, she expressed hope that the recent presidential election would allow resources for recovery and reconstruction to "start immediately flowing into Lebanon".