Beirut: Europe and the Arabs
As part of the ongoing efforts to achieve the goals of sustainable development in Lebanon, the United Nations Development Program is working on establishing a group of projects in various service facilities in the country. According to the publication of the United Nations website.
The Karantina Rehabilitation Center at Beirut Governmental Hospital is one such project that was inaugurated by the United Nations Development Program in February 2023, and aims to promote social inclusion for persons with disabilities.
According to a report published by the United Nations website, the Karantina Center was inaugurated in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon. The project is the first of its kind to be implemented in a government hospital in Lebanon.
The Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Lebanon, Melanie Hoenstein, confirmed that the implementation of the sustainable development goals is one of the main tasks of the United Nations Development Program. In an interview with UN News, she said:
“The Sustainable Development Goals must be accessible and inclusive for all. That is why we at the United Nations Development Program are working hard to ensure that everyone in society is part of sustainable development and that people with disabilities are not excluded, so that they can live a decent life that fulfills their aspirations.” .
Hoenstein stresses the need to include people with disabilities in all programs and projects. And she adds:
“This is especially important in Lebanon because Lebanon has a large number of people with disabilities. Today, 10 to 15 percent of the Lebanese population suffers, in one way or another, from a disability. That is why we at the United Nations Development Program strive to ensure the inclusion of people with disabilities. in all our programs and projects.
Here, Hounstein refers to the support and equipment of the Wheelers wheelchair basketball team.
In the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion, the resident representative of the United Nations Development Program in Lebanon says that the program invested $700,000 from the Crisis Response Fund in New York to open a center for people with disabilities at Karantina Governmental Hospital.
According to Haunstein, the center is run by ArcEnCiel, a non-governmental organization that is keen to provide physical, occupational and other treatment services to many people. And she adds:
"In 4 months, the center provided a set of services to more than 300 people, in addition to 800 free physical and mental treatment sessions for a group of Muhamasheen in the Karantina neighborhood, which is one of the neighborhoods most affected by the Beirut port explosion, which left many people with physical and psychological difficulties." .