Lebanon: the blue helmets carry solar energy for public lighting

10/12/14

In recent days, the Italian contingent of UNIFIL on a "Pinerolo" brigade base has completed and inaugurated a solar-powered public lighting project in the Lebanese village of Al Jibbayn. In particular, thirty streetlights powered by solar panels have been installed to improve road traffic and the safety of the inhabitants.

The use of solar energy for public lighting, in a context such as that of Southern Lebanon characterized by a lack of electricity, bears witness to the special attention of the blue helmets also for environmental issues and the use of renewable energy.

At the inauguration ceremony there were, among the authorities, Colonel Angelo Malizia, representing the commander of the Sector West of UNIFIL, Brigadier General Stefano Del Col and the mayor of Al Jibbayn, who in his speech warmly thanked the contingent Italian for the commitment in favor of its citizens, recalling also the works carried out in the past.

Assistance to the local population is one of the main tasks assigned to the UNIFIL contingent by the UN 1701 Resolution, together with the monitoring of the cessation of hostilities and the support of the Lebanese armed forces, tasks for which the soldiers of the "Pinerolo" brigade have long prepared at home and perform here with professionalism, transparency and impartiality.

Source: Unifil