Lebanon’s political paralysis jeopardizes international support, says UN chief

The international community will not show up for Lebanon if political paralysis continues to hamper the implementation of desperately needed reforms, says UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

“The international community will probably not — independently of support that has already been provided — respond the way it needs to respond if they see the country is paralyzed,” Guterres tells a press conference at the end of a three-day visit to the crisis-hit country.

“We need the support of the international community to be much larger than it is today and the Lebanese people deserve it but there is homework that needs to be done in Lebanon,” he says, referring to reforms.

Lebanon is grappling with an unprecedented economic crisis branded by the World Bank as one the planet’s worst in modern times. More than 80 percent of the population lives in poverty, and the local currency has lost more than 90% of its value on the black market.