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Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL)
(Arabic; French)
URL: http://unscol.unmissions.org/
The Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) is the political office of the United Nations that coordinates the work of the UN in the country. The Special Coordinator for Lebanon (SCL) is currently Mr. Michael C. Williams (United Kingdom). In fulfilling his functions, the Special Coordinator is the Secretary-General’s representative to the Lebanese Government, all political parties and the diplomatic community based in the country.
History
In 2000, the Secretary-General established an office for his Personal Representative for Southern Lebanon. Following the withdrawal of the Israeli Defence Forces in May 2000, the situation in Southern Lebanon was characterized by a high degree of potential instability and the risk of continued conflict between Israel and Lebanon, prompting the UN to set up this political presence in Beirut to lend support to international efforts to maintain peace and security in Southern Lebanon.
With the expansion of the UN’s role in Lebanon, the mandate of Office of the Personal Representative of the Secretary-General was expanded in November 2005 to cover the UN’s political activities in all of Lebanon and to achieve greater policy coherence among the Organization’s political work in the country.
Following the July 2006 war, the Secretary-General decided in February 2007 to establish the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, who would be responsible for coordinating the work of the United Nations in the country and representing the Secretary-General on all political aspects of the United Nations work in Lebanon. The transformation to UNSCOL falls in line with global UN reform plans and the Secretary-General’s pledge to improve the way the Organization delivers its assistance.
Resolution 1701
UNSCOL’s work focuses on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006). The Special Coordinator for Lebanon also maintains regular contact with Lebanon’s neighbours and other countries in order to promote the full implementation of Resolution 1701 and other initiatives related to Lebanon.
Good Offices Functions
As the primary interlocutor with the Lebanese authorities on all political matters, UNSCOL confers on a regular basis with the different political parties, with Lebanese civil society and the diplomatic community. The Special Coordinator carries out good offices work on behalf of the Secretary-General to assist Lebanese parties to reach peaceful and consensus-based solutions to contentious issues.
Political Guidance
UNSCOL provides overall political guidance to the UN system in Lebanon, including UNIFIL, through close liaison and regular information-sharing with all UN entities working in the country. UNSCOL closely follows all aspects related to the situation of Palestinians in Lebanon and special focus is also given to issues like electoral reform, border management, the promotion of the rule of law, human rights and good governance.
Coordination
Another important role for UNSCOL is that of coordination. The Special Coordinator for Lebanon coordinates the activities of the UN Country Team with the Government of Lebanon, donors and international financial institutions, in line with the overall objectives of the United Nations in Lebanon, particularly as they relate to reconstruction, development and reform. The Special Coordinator for Lebanon is assisted in this task by a Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, currently Ms. Marta Ruedas (Spain), who is the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator.
As the United Nations focal point for the Core Group of donor countries supporting Lebanon, the Special Coordinator for Lebanon also plays a key role in advocating for coordinated donor assistance to Lebanon in consultation with the UN Country Team and the Government of Lebanon.
Staff
UNSCOL strength currently stands at 80 staff members, drawn from 15 different nationalities, operating in several component divisions, including political, coordination, public information, security and administration.
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