Vietnam has expressed deep concern over Lebanon’s multi-faceted crisis, calling on international support to people living there.

Minister Counsellor, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN Nguyen Phuong Tra at the UNSC meeting on May 11. Photo: VOV

Speaking at the UN Security Council (UNSC)’s meeting on May 11, Minister Counsellor, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN Nguyen Phuong Tra called for special attention to Palestinian and Syrian refugees in Lebanon amid bad living conditions in the country.

Vietnam hopes that international community, donors and UN agencies will continue to help Lebanon to overcome the current crisis, Tra said at the meeting with the participation of Under Secretary General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo.

She said Vietnam called on Lebanese leaders and relevant parties to establish a government capable of taking necessary reforms for the sake of the people.

Tra made the call after Rosemary DiCarlo said Lebanon has faced economic difficulties and unstable social security, along with increased poverty and unemployment.

At the meeting, participants said that the implementation of the UNSC’s Resolution 1559 has shown no progress.

The resolution, which was adopted on September 2, 2004, called for the disarmament of all militias and the extension of government control over all Lebanese territory.

Syrian refugees walk out of a building under construction that they were using as shelter in the city of Sidon in southern Lebanon on March 17, 2020. Photo: AFP/VNA

There are more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees and around 300,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and most struggle to make ends meet, according to Anera, a non-governmental organization addresses the development and relief needs of refugees and vulnerable communities in Palestine and Lebanon, according the AFP.

Without formal citizenship, they have no social, political or economic liberties. Refugees in Lebanon also have limited job and educational opportunities and endure poor living conditions.

In the face of Covid-19, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian and Syrian refugees living in overcrowded and rundown camps in Lebanon are bracing for the virus. Palestinian and Syrian refugees who live in cramped quarters, including tent camps where basic services like water are poor, are particularly vulnerable to the illness, AFP reported.