Humanitarian operations phasing down as Lebanon recovery moved ahead

(New York: 28 September 2006): Lebanon is making speedy progress towards recovery following the destructive conflict between Israel and Hizbollah this summer, as signalled by tomorrow's planned handover of the role of coordinator of international activities in southern Lebanon from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Ahead of the official end of humanitarian operations on 24 October 2006, United Nations agencies are preparing to close down or transition their activities to relevant Government authorities or development agencies. The World Food Programme (WFP), which as the logistics cluster lead has been arranging cargo movements within Lebanon, will wind up those operations by 15 October. The C160 airplanes provided by Germany carried out their last rotations on 20 September; since commercial traffic has resumed fully, WFP will support other agencies' and non-governmental organizations' (NGOs) transport needs through commercial means.

The WFP also intends to complete its final round of food distributions by 15 October, and is assisting the Ministry of Social Affairs to establish a national food security and capacity building strategy in preparation of phasing out its operations in Lebanon.

On the water and sanitation front, the focus of activities has shifted to providing support for the Government and municipal water authorities rebuilding storage tanks, water lines and pumping stations. As cluster lead, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has agreed to serve as a clearing house for requests and information regarding water recovery projects to relieve pressure on the Lebanese water authorities. Distributions of bottled water will be phased out in the coming weeks, although the tankering of water to more than 100 villages in southern Lebanon will remain a priority for six to eight weeks. The water recovery process has been speeded by a ready supply of generators and the fact that electric power is coming back on line more quickly than anticipated.

Coordination of demining activities will continue through the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre (UNMACC) in southern Lebanon. To date, some 592 cluster bomb strike locations have been identified, and 40,000 cluster sub-munitions and other pieces of unexploded ordnance (UXO) have been cleared. More than 350 Lebanese Army and some 200 NGO and commercial company personnel, as well as troops from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), are working under UNMACC coordination to clear southern Lebanon. Approximately 200,000 people remain displaced due to the level of destruction and contamination by cluster sub-munitions and other UXO in their hometowns.

A team of ten United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) experts is due to arrive on 30 September to conduct a post-conflict environmental mission, which will look at key environmental hazards including waste rubble, medical and industrial waste, coastal marine pollution, asbestos, and ground water contamination.

The OCHA will continue to work with the Government and other partners to facilitate a smooth transition to early recovery in the run up to the 24 October closing of humanitarian operations. Throughout the early recovery phase, the United Nations will support the national coordination framework, including by seconding experts in various fields to the Lebanese Recovery and Reconstruction Unit. The World Bank has approved a $70 million grant to establish a Trust Fund for Lebanon to support the Government's reconstruction efforts.

For further information, please call: Stephanie Bunker, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1 917 892 1679; Kristen Knutson, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 9262; Elisabeth Byrs, OCHA-Geneva, +41 22 917 2653, mobile, +41 79 473 4570. OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int.