Beirut (AFP)

Six months after the devastating explosion of August 4 at the port of Beirut, the main donors say they have disbursed all the international aid promised to the affected population.

But local NGOs claim to have received almost nothing, or to have lost part of the value of the funds due to a very disadvantageous bank exchange rate.

- What amounts promised?

On August 9, 2020, five days after the explosion that left more than 200 dead and devastated entire districts of Beirut, the international community pledged to provide emergency aid worth $ 298 million ($ 253 million). euros) during a videoconference initiated by France.

And on December 2, at another conference, the UN, the European Union and the World Bank announced 18-month aid, with more than $ 400 million (€ 333 million) in the first year. , as part of a reform, recovery and reconstruction plan ("3RF").

- What about the sums released?

Of the $ 298 million, $ 285 million has actually been disbursed, Najat Rochdi, UN humanitarian aid coordinator for Lebanon, told AFP.

This sum includes 161 million dollars paid through the UN to NGOs in particular, and 124 million dollars paid directly among others to NGOs in the form of aid in kind.

In addition to the 285 million, other aid, bilateral and "difficult to trace" by the UN, was sent to the government, she said.

However, some funds have still not been paid such as $ 6 million, out of $ 18 million promised by the French Development Agency, according to its local director, Arthur Germond.

- The "3RF" on?

The "3RF" mechanism - a bridge between emergency humanitarian aid and medium-term recovery - has not yet translated into concrete aid.

According to Mr. Germond, only $ 60 million has so far been collected out of some $ 300 million from a trust fund launched at the end of December and intended to support the most vulnerable populations and to finance NGOs and small businesses.

The political impasse in which Lebanon finds itself also blocks other "3RF" projects, which are conditioned by the implementation of reforms.

This is particularly the case for the reconstruction of the port, explains Najat Rochdi, whose funding will depend on a reform for more transparency in calls for tenders.

- Are the NGOs satisfied?

Despite the aid disbursed, some NGOs claim to have received only a small share of donor money.

Nabih Jabr, an official of the Lebanese Red Cross, notes that private donations have greatly exceeded the sums that were to arrive in the institutional framework.

"More than 80% of the response provided by the Red Cross to the explosion (...) was funded by individuals and businesses," he said.

For lack of substantial aid, the NGO Beit el Baraka had to raise $ 3.2 million from the diaspora, says its director Maya Ibrahimchah.

And in the event that aid arrives, NGOs must in particular battle with banks which cap withdrawals and apply their own exchange rate, sometimes losing more than half the value of the donations intended for them.

After a historic devaluation, a dollar is trading today at almost 9,000 pounds on the black market, against a bank rate of 3,900 pounds and an official rate unchanged at 1,507 pounds.

"Some amounts had to be converted into pounds at the bank rate," confirms AFP Virginie Lefèvre, from the NGO Amel, ie 55% less than on the black market.

"Negotiations were conducted to obtain a + humanitarian + exchange rate, but they were not conclusive," she regrets.

- Heritage, the poor relation?

In the cultural and heritage field, local actors deplore a lack of funds.

Beirut Heritage Initiative (BHI), an alliance of NGOs, says it has received less than $ 250,000 through institutional donors while the needs in this sector are estimated at $ 300 million.

However, without substantial amounts, "no reconstruction of Lebanese heritage will be possible", deplores Fadlo Dagher, one of the founders of BHI.

In August, the World Bank estimated the total economic damage and loss due to the explosion at between 6.7 and 8.1 billion dollars.

© 2021 AFP