Australia’s Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs visits Lebanon, reaffirms commitment to address food insecurity and humanitarian needs

Australia’s Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs visits Lebanon, reaffirms commitment to address food insecurity and humanitarian needs

NNA -nbsp;Today,nbsp;thenbsp;Honourablenbsp;Assistant Ministernbsp;ofnbsp;Foreign Affairs of Australia,nbsp;Tim Watts MPnbsp;visitednbsp;projects supported by the Government of Australianbsp;withnbsp;UN Women and thenbsp;United NationsWorld Food Programme (WFP) innbsp;Lebanon. UN Women and WFPrsquo;s operations continuenbsp;to respond to increased humanitariannbsp;and developmentnbsp;needsnbsp;across the countrynbsp;including poverty, inequality,and food insecurity. nbsp;

nbsp;Honnbsp;Tim Watts, and the accompanying delegation visited two UN Women- led initiatives supported by the Government of Australia. The first, a production unit of high quality and affordable sanitary products,nbsp;producednbsp;by women for women, in Beirut, in partnership with ACTED and local partnernbsp;Nusaned.

nbsp;The visit continued with a tour of the lsquo;Access Kitchen,rsquo;nbsp;anbsp;first of its kind women-led community kitchen in Lebanon supported by UN Womennbsp;in partnership withnbsp;the Lebanese Union for People with Physical Disabilities (LUPD)nbsp;that is creatingnbsp;sustainablenbsp;employment opportunities for women with disabilities. The delegation gained a first-hand insight into the inclusive and accessible kitchen space and listened to women employed in the kitchen reflecting on the challenges and opportunities for women and persons with disabilities in Lebanon. nbsp;

nbsp;ldquo;Australia is proud to partner with UN Women in Lebanon to empower women through access to employment,rdquo; Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tim Watts said.nbsp;

ldquo;These projects, implemented in partnership with UN Women and localnbsp;organisations, provide women with the means to support themselves and their families.rdquo;

Women,nbsp;childrennbsp;and people with