Almost every week in Beirut is a rollercoaster. Every Monday morning we set out what we hope to achieve, and then try not to be buffeted by McMillan’s famous ‘events, dear boy, events’. Here are ten of the things we did last week:
- Held three Remembrance Day services, in Tripoli, Beirut and Saida. There are 1705 allied servicemen buried in Lebanon, most from the Second World War. Every year, as I have described here we stand with our dwindling group of proud veterans, and representatives from every continent, to remember them.The Last Post mingles with the sounds of nearby mosques and churches to give the ceremonies a Lebanese twist. With Tripoli suffering another round of conflict, we were fortunate to have huge support from the army to ensure that our simple but poignant commemoration could go ahead.
- Hosted the first ever UK/Lebanon Business Awards. We’re aiming to double trade in three years, and wanted to honour the businesses that are setting us on track to do so. It was great to have the house full of talismen from two of history’s greatest trading nations. The UKTI team (ukti.beirut@fco.gov.uk) here are ready to help anyone who fancies a shot at next year’s awards.
- Took part in an exercise to test our contingency planning for potential instability in the Middle East. Our crisis and consular team are constantly honing the preparations, so that we have the right measures in place to protect Brits, just in case.
- Launched the next phase, with the Army Commander, of British support for the Lebanese army. Responding to needs identified by the Lebanese command, our 15m USD project is training the army to secure the borders, and providing vital equipment such as Land Rovers, comms kit and observation towers. We want to give the army the support to match its courage.
- Hosted an art exhibition by British artist Tom Young, in aid of children’s charity SOS Villages. Tom’s Carousel series captures brilliantly Lebanon’s resilience and renewal. You can learn more about it here , and the work of SOS here.
- Supported the Beirut marathon. As I’ve previously posted , this is far more than a running race, a moment of unity and defiance. The atmosphere was superb as ever. I enjoyed seeing Beirut’s diversity from the road, including running through the Southern Suburbs (seeing preparations for Ashura) and Armenian quarter. I ran a leg with my French colleague, and we played brand bingo, competing as to who had the most companies along the route. I ran for the Lebanese Autism Society, and to promote One Lebanon.
- Launched Kids Read, a superb British Council project to get more children reading. It was great to see their enthusiasm for books in English, from Harry Potter to the Gruffalo, and to share with them the four most magical words in the English language – ‘Once Upon a Time’. As I’ve posted, we want a generation of Lebanese kids to get access to the 21st century’s language.
- Took part in a virtual conference on Digital Diplomacy, with diplomats from across Europe. Our communications team are enthusiastic digital pioneers, and an increasing amount of our engagement and outreach is online. For more on all this see my other blog.
- Met with international partners to discuss two key areas of engagement: supporting the army, and responding to economic/humanitarian needs that have been increased by the Syria conflict. Both are key areas of follow up to the Lebanon International Support Group, launched in New York in September.The government have set out clearly the impact on the Lebanese economy, and worked with the World Bank, UNDP and key donors to prepare a mechanism to respond. I was pleased to host this week a post by Saleyha Ahsan, about the devastating impact of the Syria crisis on medical provision. Our DFID team are working flat out to ensure we spend effectively our share of Britain’s £500m response to the crisis.
- Prepared analysis for London colleagues on how we can help Lebanon through 2014. Whereas in the past embassies waited weeks for instructions from London to arrive by diplomatic bag, we’re now able to interact in real time with departments in London, often by secure videoconference. That was the week that was. Lots going on.But the key point is that this all in different ways contributes to Lebanese stability, and the whole embassy team here are enthusiastically involved in delivering it. Our message to Brits investing here or seeking help, to those working to keep Lebanon stable, and to the positive people behind events like the marathon, One Lebanon and SOS is: we’re on your side.