British Ambassador visits UK-funded projects in response to the Beirut port blast

British Ambassador visits UK-funded projects in response to the Beirut port blast

British Ambassador to Lebanon Ian Collard and the British Embassy's Development and Humanitarian Director, Lucy Andrews, on Tuesday visited projects funded by the UK as part of its response to the devastating Beirut Port blast back in August 2020.

Collard visited two of the 43 businesses supported by the UK through the Lebanon Host Communities Support Program (LHSP) in partnership with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Berytech, under the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan framework.

“This funding has helped to restore livelihoods by supporting the recovery of Micro and Small Enterprises affected by the explosion, including through cash grants and business development support. This project secured the retention of more than 300 jobs and is supporting plans to hire an additional 100 employees,” the British embassy said in a statement.

At the port of Beirut, UNDP partners briefed the ambassador on the work being done with the Beirut Port Silos Authorities to support the recovery of the port’s operations. UK support is contributing to organizing and improving the off-loading of wheat and other grains through the provision of necessary machinery.

The UK was amongst the first to respond to the August 2020 Beirut port explosion and has spent $22 million to date.

Furthermore, the UK