Caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam, on Thursday headed a Lebanese delegation partaking in the Arab Ministerial Meeting of Governors in the MENA region, which was held in Washington DC, at the World Bank Group’s headquarters. 

Salam welcomed the continuous support of the World Bank to Lebanon amid the tough stage that the country endures, especially its efforts to bolster the country’s food security through the emergency wheat loan, in addition to allocating a new program for food security, developing social safety programs, and providing Lebanon with Covid 19 vaccines.

Regarding global policy priorities for the coming period, he affirmed that Lebanon, in light of the dire circumstances, continued to support international efforts to restore global peace and stability and alleviate human suffering. 

“Lebanon continues to be a country hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees. The government estimates the presence of 1.5 million Syrian refugees on Lebanese territories and approximately 13,715 refugees carrying other nationalities,” he explained. 

“All of this is happening as Lebanon faces the worst social and economic crisis in decades, suffers the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, and recovers from the devastating Beirut Port blast in 2020," he added.

With regard to the condition of Lebanon’s economy, Salam explained, "The road is long and we have great work ahead, but Lebanon expects economic growth and recovery within the next three years in the sectors of food industries, digital services, tourism and oil services.” 

He finally stressed that Lebanon was committed to implementing the required reforms and implementing the recovery plan to maintain monetary and financial stability, while accelerating structural reforms to enhance resilience in the face of external shocks.