Agreement to work together in Lebanon
| Subject: International Cooperation
Contribution of 1.6 million Euros to respond to the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean
The Government of Catalonia, the Barcelona City Council, the Barcelona Provincial Council, the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) and the Catalan Cooperation Fund for Development have signed an agreement to work together in Lebanon. They will do so through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and fifteen NGOs working on the ground. In this way Catalan cooperation will be responding to the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean with a contribution of 1.6 million Euros.
The actions planned will be performed in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs of Lebanon (MOAS) and shall be carried out with the Union of Municipalities of Al Fayhaa, located in the Lebanese area where most of the people seeking refuge have arrived. They will provide service to more than 800,000 people in order to improve water supply management, the management, disposal and recycling of waste, and primary care and health services to the population.
The contribution of the Catalan cooperation on this project will be twofold: firstly, it will make a financial contribution €730,000, and secondly it will provide technical knowledge, expertise, and an exchange of experiences with the Catalan actors involved. The project, known as the Lebanon Host Communities Support Project, also includes the participation of Italy, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom, and the United States.
This is the first time that Catalan institutions working in the area of cooperation will act in a joint and coordinated manner abroad.
This agreement is the result of the visit of a Catalan delegation in Lebanon back in May, aimed at determining the situation in Lebanon first hand, assessing the cooperation projects that Catalonia has already been carrying out, and establishing new alliances and agreements with Lebanese and international organizations and institutions.