NNA - The Centre for Social Sciences Research and Action (CeSSRA) has released a position paper addressing the intensifying conflict between Lebanon and Israel, which has taken a destructive turn since its escalation in September 2024. CeSSRA emphasizes the critical need for international aid while highlighting that the real priority should be building a state capable of safeguarding the rights of its citizens.
According to CeSSRA, the ongoing conflict has resulted in a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions, with civilian casualties surpassing twice the toll of the 2006 war. Displacement has reached alarming levels, with over a million people more than 20% of the population—forced to flee their homes.
While CeSSRA acknowledges the importance of the recent surge in international aid initiatives such as Canada's $15 million pledge, the United Nations' fundraising goal of over $1 billion, and the European Union's additional €40 million commitment CeSSRA stresses that these efforts must go hand in hand with rebuilding the foundations of a state that protects human rights. CeSSRA warns against seeing aid as a substitute for genuine state-building and locally-led democratic processes.
A Call for Sustainable State-Building Efforts
CeSSRA urges that the aid must not merely sustain the current political and economic system, which has left Lebanon on the brink of collapse. Instead, it calls for parallel efforts focused on building institutions capable of protecting the population's fundamental rights, ensuring social welfare, and preventing future crises.
The upcoming international ministerial conference in Paris on October 24, 2024, provides a critical opportunity to align humanitarian aid with democratic state-building processes. CeSSRA highlights the need for a clear framework to ensure that aid initiatives do not undermine local governance structures but instead contribute to establishing a state built on inclusivity and accountability.
The Need for a Rights-Based Approach
In addition to immediate humanitarian relief, CeSSRA advocates for a shift toward a state that prioritizes the protection of its people's rights over political gains. "It is in this spirit that we reiterate the need for humanitarian aid and solidarity initiatives by the international community, rather than offering aid that would erode what remains of universality in an already collapsing social protection system and of a crumbling state that the Lebanese alone must rebuild" the position paper reads.
Read the full position paper here.
Media Contact:
The Centre for Social Sciences Research and Action (CeSSRA)
 

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