Press Release

OFID extends US$1.2 million in humanitarian aid to Lebanon

74/2006 July 27, 2006, Vienna, Austria
Press inquiries:

The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has approved a grant of US$1.2 million to provide essential relief supplies and support emergency operations undertaken by the Lebanese Red Cross Society to assist victims of the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. OFID’s contribution to the aid effort will be channeled through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Lebanon is presently experiencing a devastating cycle of violence. With the crisis now in its second week, the situation continues to worsen. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands wounded. Moreover, an estimated 700,000 people have fled their homes, including some 150,000 people who have crossed the border into Syria. The ongoing military operation has caused enormous damage to residential areas and other infrastructure such as power plants, seaports and fuel depots. Hundreds of bridges and virtually all road networks have been systematically destroyed, leaving entire communities in the south inaccessible.

Safe passage for humanitarian goods has been secured to reach people in need of assistance, with the principal needs comprising medical care, water, food and shelter, as well as support to public health, water and sanitation systems in Beirut and southern Lebanon.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), an affiliate of the IFRC, is addressing the most pressing needs, in cooperation with the Lebanese Red Cross Society. With its 2,400 volunteers, 42 ambulance stations and over 50 clinics and other medical facilities all over the country, the ICRC has been active since the first day of the crisis. The organization is in a unique position, as it is able to secure temporary safe passage to deliver aid in conflict as it routinely maintains contact with both sides. The UN has called on donors to provide US$150 million in emergency aid, enough to provide for 800,000 people over the next three months. Part of the aid is earmarked for Syria where an estimated 200,000 Lebanese have fled.