UN urges Lebanon to implement reforms as extreme poverty grows
Al Jazeera
Amid economic meltdown, Lebanon’s medical crisis is a ‘death sentence’ and starvation a ‘growing reality’, UN says.
Beirut, Lebanon – The United Nations has sounded the alarm on Lebanon’s spiralling economic meltdown, calling on the country’s leadership to urgently implement reforms as extreme poverty deepens and starvation becomes a “growing reality” for thousands of people.
“The situation remains a living nightmare for ordinary people, causing unspeakable suffering and distress for the most vulnerable,” United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Najat Rochdi said at a news conference on Friday.
The UN estimates that 78 percent of the Lebanese lives below the poverty line – some three million people – with 36 percent of the population living in extreme poverty. Almost a quarter of the population was not able to meet their “dietary needs” by the end of last year, the UN said.
