ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The very high number of refugees in Lebanon places heavy strain on its health sector as the country goes through a “multifaceted crisis,” its health minister said on Wednesday. “Lebanon is passing through a multifaceted crisis, and it is affecting heavily on the health sector, especially with the presence of a large number of refugees,” Lebanese Minister of Public Health Firas Abyad told Rudaw on the sidelines of the 78th UN General Assembly in New York City, Abyad called the UNGA an “opportunity” to “garner support for the health sector in Lebanon from all departments.” Lebanon hosts some 815,000 registered Syrian refugees and potentially hundreds of thousands more who are unregistered, the highest population of refugees per capita in the world. The country also has a significant Palestinian refugee population. Since the deterioration of the country’s economy several years ago, officials have called for Syrian refugees to return. “Taking care of this high number of refugees is not only the sole responsibility of the Lebanese government, but this is the responsibility of the whole world,” Abyad stressed. The high-level week of the 78th annual UNGA commenced on Tuesday and will continue through next week. Hundreds of world leaders and delegates have gathered in New York to attend the event, with around 150 heads of states and governments set to deliver speeches. The theme of this year’s summit is “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.”
