MAG welcomes the US and France-brokered ceasefire in Lebanon. The Lebanese people now face a huge reconstruction task that will be seriously hampered by the unexploded ordnance (UXO) left behind after more than 12 months of hostilities and that has affected swathes of the country. We know that a significant proportion of the weapons used in the conflict will have failed to explode and will be buried under the rubble of the estimated 100,000 destroyed houses or lying in fields and gardens. This UXO represents a threat to lives and livelihoods.
We are liaising closely with the Lebanese Armed Forces and Lebanese Mine Action Centre to co-ordinate our emergency response, including a significant scale-up of emergency risk education for emergency and humanitarian workers, UN staff, construction workers and returning residents so that they are aware of the dangers of UXO. There is also a need to conduct a rapid initial survey of affected areas to identify the nature and scale of threats and to prioritise areas for full survey and later clearance.
We have almost 25 years of experience in Lebanon and extensive experience in other urban contexts so know that any response will require significant funding to enable the acquisition of heavy mechanical equipment as well as a significant scale-up of personnel.
We have, however, been preparing for this moment and have already invested in additional specialist training for our 200-plus staff and partners, including in relation to dealing with acute threats such as white phosphorus weapons.
Approximately one million people have been displaced by this conflict, with many of them already trying to return to what is left of their homes, so how effectively and quickly we support communities to resume normal lives will be a key factor in stabilising the situation not just in Lebanon but in the wider Middle East.
