Mohanna: Urging for a Ceasefire and Support for Lebanon from Brothers and Friends in Its Time of Crisis

Dr. Kamel Mohanna, President of Amel Association International, received Mr. Ted Chaiban,  Assistant Secretary-General serving as the Deputy Executive Director Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). and Mr.Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s Representative in Lebanon. 

The UNICEF delegation met with Dr Mohanna, Dr. Ahmad Abboud, Amel’s director and board member, Dr. Zeina Mohanna, a board member and response coordinator, and program coordinators Marion Faber, Lama Ajrouch, and Daniella Khalil. 

The visit followed a field tour by the delegation to inspect the work being done by organizations partnering with UNICEF in various shelters, including Amel Association International, which supports more than 170 shelters. The delegation met with Denise Nimer, a representative of the organization, and the team working on the ground.

Amel partners with UNICEF through the “Makani” program, which is dedicated to child and youth care on multiple levels. Teams working under this program currently carry out relevant interventions and activities in Amel’s centers and shelters.

Dr. Mehanna welcomed Chaiban and Beigbeder, praising the role of UN agencies in motivating the international community to show solidarity with Lebanon and supporting institutions responding to the crisis. He highlighted the worsening situation in Lebanon, with more than one million displaced people needing assistance across various sectors. He noted that aid only reaches a mere 13% of those in need, according to recent reports.

Mehanna urged the delegation to push for a ceasefire and ensure aid is provided in line with the needs of the displaced, not in symbolic quantities. He criticized the world’s silence as Lebanon is being turned into a “second Gaza” amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza, increased bombings, starvation, and the burning of displaced people alive, as witnessed in recent days. Mehanna described this silence as a setback for justice and the humanitarian values the international community claims to uphold. He added that the blatant violations against civilians and humanitarian and health workers in Gaza and Lebanon are a test of the effectiveness of international humanitarian law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Mehanna also emphasized that Amel, a non-sectarian civil institution that has worked for five decades to protect human dignity and build a state of social justice, is currently making its utmost efforts through its health and development centers, mobile clinics, and field teams working in shelters and affected areas. With a workforce of 2,300 employees and volunteers and 18 mobile clinics, Amel is responding to health and humanitarian needs to ensure that people in Lebanon are not left to face their fate without support.

Chaiban and Beigbeder thanked Amel Association International for its long-standing commitment to supporting people and protecting their rights under all circumstances. They acknowledged Amel’s dedication to providing the best living conditions for children and youth, believing in their potential. They also reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to continuing its partnership with Amel and other humanitarian organizations to support the people of Lebanon and stand by them during one of the most challenging periods they have faced.