UNDP Administrator Meets Officials, Highlights Impact of Syrian Crisis on Lebanon

Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Achim Steiner, visited Lebanon on February 15 and met with Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Speaker Nabih Berri and Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq, the UNDP said in a statement Saturday.

Steiner discussed some of the challenges facing Lebanon since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis, revealing that Lebanon should be assisted in managing the public service it provides to the entire world, the statement said.

Steiner visited the neighborhood of Bourj Hammoud northeast of Beirut, which hosts around 19,000 Syrian refugees, to learn more about the impact of the crisis at the local level and the ways in which Lebanese communities and refugees deal with everyday life issues.

During his visit, Steiner also participated in a roundtable on Lebanon's efforts to achieving the objectives of sustainable development, with the participation of lawmakers, ministers, representatives of civil society and the private sector.