Lebanon: for a UN official, the government is failing in its duties towards its people
A gas station in Beirut (Lebanon).
To fill up with gasoline, the Lebanese must now pay more than the minimum wage.
AP - Hassan Ammar
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
The Lebanese government is failing in its duties towards its people, said Friday, November 12, in Beirut a senior UN official who criticized the "inaction" of the authorities in the face of the collapse of the country.
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The Lebanese government "is failing in its obligations towards its people" and the country risks becoming a failed state, underlined Olivier De Schutter, the UN special rapporteur on human rights and extreme poverty.
"
I saw scenes in Lebanon that I never imagined seeing in a middle-income country
," he added at a press conference, after a twelve-day mission to the country. country.
"
While the population tries to survive from day to day, the government is losing precious time,
" said De Schutter, criticizing "
the inaction of the government in the face of this unprecedented crisis which has plunged the population into poverty.
".
About 80% of the population below the poverty line
The Lebanese government, formed in September to try to get the country out of the economic collapse, has not yet taken serious measures while according to the United Nations, around 80% of the population now lives below the poverty line.
After having completely lifted subsidies on fuels, the authorities are gradually reducing those on drugs and flour as the Lebanese pound (LL) has lost 90% of its value on the black market since the start of the crisis in the fall 2019. This Friday, November 12, the dollar traded for 23,200 LL, the local currency approaching its all-time low.
The authorities are strapped for cash
A ration card program, long promised to help the poorest, has not yet started as the cash-strapped authorities struggle to secure World Bank funding.
According to the latest data from the Lebanese government, the price of basic foodstuffs has almost quadrupled in one year.
And to fill up with gas, the Lebanese have to pay more than the minimum wage, which is still 675,000 LL.
A month ago, the organization Save the Children warned that "
children in Lebanon are skipping many meals because parents find it difficult to buy basic foods
."
(
with AFP
)
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Lebanon
Humanitarian
Food
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UN