Belgium pledges an extra 5 million euro in aid to Lebanon
Belgium is to give an additional 5 million euro in humanitarian aid to help the relief effort in the Lebanese capital Beirut. Earlier this week a large area of Beirut was devastated by a massive explosion in the city’s harbour. Today (Sunday) an international donor conference is taking place to raise money for the immediate relief effort and to help rebuilt the city.
The donor conference has come about on the initiative of the French President Emmanuel Macron who visited Beirut on Thursday. Due to the coronavirus pandemic the conference is being held via video link. President Macron has promised the Lebanese people that the aid “will not fall into corrupt hands”.
The Belgian Foreign and Defence Minister Philippe Goffin (Francophone liberal) and the Belgian Development Aid Minister Alexander De Croo (Flemish liberal) are participating in the conference. Mr De Croo has said that Belgium will be giving an addition 5 million euro in humanitarian aid.
Mr De Croo told journalists that "We will be doing this through multilateral partner organisations that are active in fields within which the needs of the Lebanese population are the greatest: medicine of course, but also food supply and the reconstruction of homes and infrastructure”. Previously Belgium gave 1 million euro to the Red Cross to fund their work in the relief effort in Beirut.
On Friday a Belgian Air Force cargo plan took aid supplies to Beirut. These included sleeping bags, blankets and urgent medical supplies.