From June 18 to 22, 2019, a Monegasque delegation led by Mrs. Isabelle Rosabrunetto, Director General of the Department of External Relations and Cooperation, paid a visit to Lebanon to discuss the partnerships supported by the Monegasque Cooperation the areas of health, education and socio-economic integration of the most vulnerable populations.
A little more than a year after the arrival of Gilles Tonelli, Government Counselor-Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Prince’s Government, this visit was also an opportunity to strengthen the ties of friendship between the two States during an interview at the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At the invitation of Foundation Mérieux, the Lebanese NGO Amel and the Municipality of Douris, which Monaco supports, Mrs. Rosabrunetto participated in the official inauguration of a Mother and Child Health Center in Douris.
On this occasion, Mrs. Rosabrunetto said: “The book we are celebrating is a perfect illustration of the importance you attach to – and give – the health and well-being of the people of this often-felt region of Lebanon. I am thinking in particular of children this year as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is to them that we must provide the best protection to guarantee their future.”
After talking to Mr. Claudio Cordone, Director of UNRWA in Lebanon, Ms. ROSABRUNETTO visited the camp of Bourj el-Barajneh in Beirut. She visited a health centre and learned about the daily challenges of Palestinian refugees, including access to care.
Also in the health sector, the first area of intervention of the Monegasque Cooperation in Lebanon, the delegation went to Kefraya, Bekaa, to attend the care operations of the Mobile Medical Unit of the Lebanese Association. Knights of the Order of Malta (ALCM) in an informal Syrian camp. This trip ended with a moment of sharing with the older people of the ALCM day centre supported for more than three years by the Prince’s Government.
Recall that bilateral cooperation between the two states was initiated in 1993: in total, more than 6 million euros were invested by Monaco in Lebanon in response to socio-economic issues. The Principality of Monaco benefits from the active presence of a Consul in Lebanon in the person of Sheikh Bechara K. El Khoury. In the current context of the Syrian crisis, the Principality wished to intensify its support for this country. Lebanon is today the first host country in terms of number of refugees compared to its national population (1 refugee for every 3 Lebanese).