UN chief in Beirut to discuss Syrian refugee plans

UN chief in Beirut to discuss Syrian refugee plans
UN chief Ban Ki-moon has arrived in Beirut to meet with top Lebanese officials and discuss regional matters, including refugee support, youth unemployment and private sector development.
1 min read
24 March, 2016
Ban Ki-moon is to meet top Lebanese officials and discuss regional matters [Anadolu]

The United Nations Secretary-General arrived in Lebanon on Thursday beginning a two-day official visit, the third such trip since his appointment.

Ban Ki-moon is to meet top Lebanese officials and discuss regional matters, including refugee support, youth unemployment and private sector development.

He will also visit a Syrian refugee settlement in central Lebanon and the country's second-largest city, Tripoli, in the north.

Lebanon, which has taken in over one million Syrian refugees, also has a UN peacekeeping force that maintains security along the Lebanese-Israel border.

The secretary general will be joined by World Bank and the Islamic Development Bank Group representatives on a five-day tour that will also take him to Jordan and Tunisia.

On Friday, the UN chief will head to South Lebanon to meet peacekeepers associated with the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon.

Ban's visit comes days after a similar trip by European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini.

The EU officials reaffirmed on Monday that the EU would continue to support Lebanon in the face of the country's many challenges, particularly that of hosting over a million Syrian refugees.