UNITED NATIONS INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) donated U.N.-owned information-technology equipment to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the General Security Directorate/Sûreté Générale (SG) at a December 2015 ceremony in southern Lebanon.
About 1,700 items, including computers, printers, servers and accessories valued at more than $400,000, were handed over to assist the LAF and SG in their operational needs, as part of UNIFIL’s efforts to support the development of LAF capabilities.
During the ceremony, Maj. Gen. Luciano Portolano spoke of the importance of the Strategic Dialogue process to empower the LAF in implementing the tasks mandated in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006) and to facilitate the gradual assumption of greater security responsibilities by the LAF in UNIFIL’s area of operations. He noted that the partnership between UNIFIL and the LAF is central to the implementation of the mandated tasks. “It is essential, in this regard, that our strategic partners in the South get the technical and material resources they require to fulfil their vital responsibilities,” Portolano said.
Portolano reiterated UNIFIL’s commitment to support the government of Lebanon and its entities, including the LAF and General Security, by helping them develop operational capabilities for the successful implementation of the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006).
Since the beginning of the strategic dialogue process, UNIFIL has equipped the LAF with vehicles, prefabricated buildings, generators, sea containers and computer equipment worth more than $1 million. Lebanon also receives donations bilaterally from UNIFIL troop-contributing countries.