The First Parliamentary Meeting of Mine Victims was held on the occasion of the World Day for Persons with Disabilities
As part of the efforts to assist mine victims in Lebanon, and on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which falls on the third day of December of each year, under the auspices of the Speaker of the parliament of Lebanon, the first meeting of mine victims was held at the Parliament building, Al Nejmeh Square, organized by the Lebanon Mine Action Center in cooperation with the National Steering Committee, funded by the European Union and supported by the United Nations Development Program.
The meeting was attended by a number of deputies, the Director of LMAC Brig. Gen. Ziad Nasr on the behalf of His Excellency the Minister of National Defense, Mr. Yacoub Al Sarraf and the Lebanese armed forces commander General Joseph Aoun, LMAC Officers, Ambassadors of International countries, organizations of the United Nations, representatives of the National Security Council, and associations concerned with assisting persons with special needs, members of the National Steering Committee and a number of mine, cluster and unexploded ordnance victims. The meeting included the following activities:
- Lebanese National Anthem.
- Speech of the National Steering Committee, delivered by Ms. Randa Assi Berri, President of the Lebanese Association for the Care of Disabled Persons.
- Brigadier General Ziad Nasr explained that Lebanon Mine Action Center, within its strategic plan in cooperation with the National Steering Committee and with the generous support of the donor community, has taken care of victims' concerns by providing prosthetic limbs, mobility equipment, income generation project, enabling them to rely on themselves to live independently and with dignity and reintegrate into society. I hope that the law 220/2000 will be activated to support persons with special needs in all fields and put into effect the declarations for its implementation. Brig. General Ziad Nasr thanked the Head of the Parliament and the representatives for sponsoring this meeting, and the attendees for their presence and support for this humanitarian work.
- Speech of the representative of the EU in Lebanon Mrs. Francesca Varlese
- Speech of the representative of the UNDP in Lebanon Mrs. Celine Moyroud
- Speech of the hosting of the Meeting, delivered by the Director of the Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights Dr. Michel Moussa.
- At the end of the meeting, Dr. Michel Moussa, announced the recommendations which included the importance on the rights of persons with special needs, including mine victims, through seeking the government and conducting the necessary contacts with those involved in this case to convert the Law 220/2000 on the ground through establish the necessary announcements for its submission.