BEIRUT, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The European Union, the World Bank and the United Nations launched on Friday the Lebanon Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Framework (3RF) in response to the massive explosions that rocked Port of Beirut on Aug. 4.
The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf said that the framework was presented to Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab and Prime Minister-Designate Saad Hariri.
"We reached out to all stakeholders: the government, civil society and private sector to make sure their views are represented in the document," Tarraf said during an online conference.
The 3RF is a reconstruction framework focusing on a period of 18 months that will bridge the immediate humanitarian response and the medium-term recovery and reconstruction efforts to put Lebanon on a path of sustainable development.
Tarraf emphasized the need by Lebanon to implement reforms in a bid to access support mentioned in the framework.
"Lebanon cannot expect assistance if it does not do its homework," he said.
Likewise, Najat Rochdi, the UN coordinator in Lebanon, said that the successful implementation of this framework rests with the Lebanese authorities who need to make changes in the soonest possible time.
"We have repeatedly called for the formation of a new fully empowered government, one that takes responsibilities towards its citizens, and provide them with proper public services to lead to recovery. We have a long way before us, yet there are signs of hope," she said.
Meanwhile, World Bank Regional Director Saroj Kumar Jha warned authorities that the ongoing crisis will be irreversible if authorities do not form a cabinet and make reforms.
He explained that the framework aims at prioritizing needs of the most affected people who are poor and vulnerable.
He noted that the framework will adopt a financing facility mechanism for donors to pull their financing so that whatever money coming in follows very high standards of fiduciary and safeguards.
Two huge explosions rocked Beirut's port on Aug. 4, killing at least 190 people while wounding around 6,000 others in addition to leaving 300,000 people homeless.
Foreign countries offered remarkable support to Lebanon in the wake of this disaster but the country reels under a rising public debt of over 90 billion U.S. dollars and it is in need for deep structural reforms to be able to stop its continuous economic and financial deterioration.
The country was so far incapable of forming a cabinet capable of undertaking necessary reforms, prompting the international community to warn against the potential loss by Lebanon for billions of dollars in aid if it fails to reach consensus on different reform steps. Enditem
