On Tuesday, 17 May, Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra will visit the Marej refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley area, close to the Syrian border, approximately 55 km from Beirut.
Malcorra has instructed the White Helmets Commission of the Argentine Foreign Ministry to carry out a Humanitarian Mission to assist Syrian conflict refugees in Lebanese territory, in accordance with the commitment given by the Argentine President, Mauricio Macri, to the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.
The Humanitarian Mission began yesterday and is coordinated by the President of the White Helmets Commission, Alejandro Daneri. It will be made up of officials from various government bodies, such as the National Directorate for Migrations, the National Commission for Refugees, and five White Helmets volunteer experts in logistics.
In order to satisfy the needs identified by the Lebanese authorities, a team of volunteers will be deployed in the Bekaa refugee camp. The actions planned include distributing supplies sent by Argentina, including a highly equipped Medical Unit with a portable ultrasound scanner, defibrillators, nebulizers, surgical equipment and a large stock of medicines.
The resources shipped by Argentina will also include goods for communal use to supply and shelter over 100 affected families: tents, blankets, personal hygiene kits, kitchen sets and water purification tablets to treat over 800,000 litres of water, sufficient to meet the needs of 550 people for more than a year.
It was also agreed to deploy a volunteer expert in Water and Sanitation and a volunteer expert in gender-based violence, who will join the mission conducted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and who will stay in the field for a month.
The White Helmets mission will be in charge of setting up the Healthcare Unit and identifying leaders within the camp in order to provide training activities in various subjects that may later be replicated, ranging from management and distribution of goods to proper use of medical supplies and water purification tablets.
On 5 February, President Macri sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General expressing his firm intention to contribute to the mitigation of the refugee crisis caused by the conflict in Syria.
Press Release No. 139/16
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