Concept Note - Stockholm Conference for Lebanon's Early Recovery
31 August 2006, in Stockholm
The international conference in Stockholm is an answer to the call in UN Security Council Resolution 1701 for immediate steps to extend financial and humanitarian assistance to the Lebanese people. The Government of Sweden is hosting the conference in close collaboration with the Government of Lebanon and with support from the United Nations. The World Bank and the European Commission have also been consulted in the preparations of the conference.
The conference will provide the opportunity for the Government of Lebanon to present to the international community the steps envisaged in its longer-term recovery and reconstruction efforts, including a major conference to be held in Lebanon later this year.
To ensure that immediate needs are met, the conference in Stockholm will focus on early recovery and unfunded humanitarian needs. The document outlining the early recovery needs and the remaining humanitarian needs will be circulated no later than August 28th to all delegations. It is expected that participants at the conference will discuss these, with a view to mobilizing financial resources to assist the Government of Lebanon to meet these needs, including restoration of public services throughout the country.
The resources committed should be flexible in nature and quickly disbursed. The rapid assessments of needs presently carried out by the Government of Lebanon, in cooperation with the United Nations system, will form the basis for pledges of support to early recovery. The conference will also seek to bolster support for ongoing and uncompleted humanitarian relief operations.
The conference will set the stage for a successful engagement by the international community for the future long-term reconstruction work that needs to take place. The World Bank will play a crucial role in supporting this work.
The outcome of this conference should reflect strong international support - both political and financial - to the national recovery and reconstruction efforts of the Government of Lebanon, and to participation in the future conference to be held in Beirut later this year.
