As the pandemic penetrates more and more regions, what do serious efforts to engage it look like?This factor is on the minds of public health officials and political leaders around the world. For Lebanon, a small country, it will have to appear collaborative. if the task is to succeed.
“This crisis in Lebanon comes at an economic, monetary and social time that is already extremely complicated,” said Claudio Cordone, acting United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon. Ongoing anti-government crises and protests. Since mobilizing to engage the spread of COVID-19 on March 18, Lebanon closed its land borders, airports and seaports and closed all essential businesses. United Nations personnel in the 26 Lebanese entities have worked tirelessly with the Lebanese government to provide a coordinated and coherent response aimed at “leaving no one behind”.
The priority, a quick reaction to the fitness crisis, led through the World Health Organization (WHO) Lebanese workplace. It has helped the Lebanese government address shortages of doctors, procure locally produced equipment, exercise and non-health workers, build up testing capacity across the country, and increase the number of beds for COVID-19 hospital wards and intensive care units.
Early and quick action made a big difference. “So far, Lebanon has been able to ensure a physically powerful and well-coordinated COVID-19 preparedness and response. it is far from over,” said the WHO representative in Lebanon, Dr Iman Shankiti.
Then comes a war on the pandemic front: opposed to the spread of misinformation, which threatens to undermine sensible recommendations and endanger the public. “This is a moment for science and solidarity,” said Yukie Mokuo, United Nations Fund (UNICEF) representative in Lebanon. UNICEF has partnered with WHO, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Lebanon’s Ministry of Information to launch educational campaigns on television and social media to counter fake news, counter hate speech and paint to save others. with COVID-19 from being stigmatized. Other social media campaigns, presented with the Ministry of Public Health, have provided practical recommendations on how to save it and recovery measures. The short campaign videos reached more than 3 million people on television and another 2. 9 million on social media.
The challenge #SafeHands4Lebanon promoted handwashing in opposition to COVID-19. Social media stars Salma Abu Deif, Rita Lamah and others shared UN health messages.
“The COVID-19 crisis has proven to be a war of communication, a war to replace other people’s habit through spreading facts, not fear, while conveying messages of hope to help others physically and mentally,” said UNIC Beirut Director Margo El-Helou. .
Another target is women who, as elsewhere, bore the brunt of Lebanon’s lockdown. In addition to increasing the burden of unpaid care and putting them at greater risk of contracting the virus, as they make up the majority of physical care workers, the pandemic has also contributed to increased domestic violence. The Gender Alert report on Covid-19 in Lebanon, produced through UN Women in partnership with the National Commission for Lebanese Women, WHO and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), helped inform the social media crusade that UN Women and UNDP committed to.
#TogetherAndEqual aims to influence perpetrators of violence against women and inspire men to do their part in housework and childcare to ease the burden on fleeing mothers. actors, bloggers and ambassadors to serve as male influencers.
Students were another, more sensible priority. With schools heavily affected by the crisis, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), UNICEF and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have stepped up efforts with the government to ensure that certain academics have continued access to quality and inclusive education. “Despite the crisis, learning will never have to be more sensible,” said UNESCO’s Regional Director for Education in the Arab States, Dr Hamed al-Hamami. The projects were designed to help academics continue learning while “building a school formula for the future,” he said.
The refugee landscape in Lebanon has long been precarious. Palestinian and Syrian refugees, already stranded outside their countries, cannot physically distance themselves in overcrowded informal settlements and refugee camps, and many feel their lives have been turned upside down.
To help protect them, UN offices distributed data to all registered refugees in Lebanon. They also provided emergency cash assistance to 11,500 refugee families, in addition to the 34,500 families already receiving regular monthly cash assistance from the United Nations, to help them meet their fundamental wishes at this difficult time.
To prevent the disease from taking hold in refugee camps, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and their civil society partners have been working with the government to create temporary isolation tents and equip them with equipment and protection. They have also expanded public hospitals, adding beds and ample care unit capacity to accommodate more refugee patients.
Despite pandemic restrictions on peacekeepers, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has continued to fulfil its peacekeeping mandate on Lebanon’s southern border while supporting its Lebanese hosts in the fight against COVID-19.
In addition to temporarily responding to others at acute risk, the United Nations also launched the Emergency Appeal for Lebanon in early May. He asked for $350 million to deal with the rapid socio-economic influence of Covid-19. The Appeal is based on the precept of a reaction of single aptitude for all living in Lebanon, regardless of gender, nationality or status, and under the leadership of the Lebanese government.
“It is very important to secure the requested budget so that those most in need can obtain urgent humanitarian aid,” said Claudio Cordone.
In close cooperation with Lebanese Governments at the national and local levels, the United Nations has undertaken very important work to combat the virus and ensure that, despite these difficult times, no one is left behind. Lebanon knows more than most nations how indispensable solidarity is for any serious enterprise. Its other people and the government are convinced that their hard-won progress towards national unity will not reach the bottom under the strain of COVID-19.
The Manguinhos Ballet, named after its favela in Rio de Janeiro, returns to the level after a long absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has as interpreters 250 young people and adolescents from the favela. The ballet organization provides social assistance in a network where poverty, hunger and teenage pregnancy are ongoing problems.
The pandemic has put many other people to the test, and news hounds are no exception. The coronavirus has waged war not only against the lives and well-being of others, but has also generated countless deceptions and clinical lies.
The pandemic has shown how vital it is that the right of access to data is reliable and that reliable and accurate data is freely available for government and citizen decision-making – a win-win situation.