France chairs the new international conference in support of Lebanon

Today's second international conference in support of Lebanon aims to support the Lebanese people following the explosion in the capital on 4 August that left 200 dead and 6,000 injured.

The meeting will be held online as a result of the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. The conference will be attended by the same participants who attended the first meeting on 9 August.

The first session, led by France and the UN, brought together leaders from more than 30 countries and agreed on a total aid package of almost $300 million. The UN allocated $9 million from the Humanitarian Fund for Lebanon and another package, unspecified, from the Central Emergency Response Fund.

For its part, the United States pledged to send over $17 million in an initial aid package. European countries also offered their help, as was the case with the United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Germany and many others.

The United Nations estimates that Lebanon needs immediate assistance to meet its health needs at around $85 million.

International agencies such as the World Bank said it would mobilize funding for reconstruction and recovery and opened the door to extending funds for rebuilding "the livelihoods of people affected by the disaster". The International Monetary Fund, with which the Lebanese government has been negotiating a loan since the beginning of the year, said it was exploring ways to help the country.

This second conference aims, like the first, to support the Lebanese population. It also seeks to gauge the "new needs" facing Lebanon. It also involves new Lebanese institutions and NGOs.

Lebanon is going through a complex situation with the economic crisis and political instability. The explosion in the port of Beirut in August marked a turning point that triggered fresh demonstrations against the country's authorities and ended with the resignation of the prime minister, Hassan Diab.

Saad Hariri was appointed prime minister on 22 October, and although over a month has passed since his appointment, no government has yet been formed. One of France's main demands is precisely that Lebanon should have a cabinet. In August Emmanuel Macron made the sending of financial assistance conditional upon the completion of a series of reforms to steer the nation out of the bad situation it is in, as did other members of the international community.