The event, strongly supported by General Portolano, Head of Mission and Force Commander of UNIFIL, is part of the initiatives undertaken by the blue helmets in support and assistance to the LAF, for the development of an autonomous capacity in the Military sector Community Outreach and Civil - Military Cooperation. The seminar represents a further step forward in the strategic cooperation between UNIFIL and LAF, the importance of which was emphasized by General Portolano during the recent meetings he had with the highest Lebanese institutional positions, Prime Minister Tammam Salam and the president of the parliament, Nabih Berri.
Since the end of the civil war in the 1990, Lebanon has continued to witness a series of destabilizing national crises, characterized by local conflicts associated with a growing social unease due to the deterioration of economic conditions and the absence of work. The subsequent signing of the Taif Agreement, in the early 1990s, gave the LAF the task of supporting internal security forces in maintaining public order. This responsibility has led the LAF to relate directly with local communities. Today, the Syrian crisis and the consequent large refugee flow have convinced the leaders of the Lebanese Armed Forces of the need to have a pool of adequately trained personnel in the field of relations and civil-military cooperation, able to manage in a coordinated manner and integrated with the other military components, governmental and non-governmental organizations, the delicate and pressing problem of Syrian refugees.
UNIFIL, in whose area of responsibility reside, according to data provided by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over 54.000 Syrian refugees, participated in the initiative with expert Italian peacekeepers, officers from the 28th "Pavia" regiment of Pesaro and by the Multinational CIMIC Group of Motta di Livenza, which provided their professional contributions and illustrated the activities carried out in the UNIFIL area of operation in the field of Military Community Outreach and CIMIC.
The Military Community Outreach Unit (MCOU) is the main tool for direct communication to local authorities and the population of issues and messages functional to the achievement of the mandate contained in resolution 1701 of the United Nations Security Council; at the same time, it provides accurate feedback on the perception that local communities have of blue helmets. Instead, CIMIC deals with the finalization of the Quick Impact Projects (QIP), short and medium-term projects in favor of the most needy segments of the population, concerning two main macro areas, namely the supply of basic necessities (electricity , drinking water, sanitation, health) and infrastructural. Thanks to the funds made available since 2007 ad today from the 38 contributing nations, UNIFIL is effectively contributing to a slow, though slow, recovery of the economy of this area of southern Lebanon, and to the creation of expectations even for the lower classes of the population. The creation of a favorable social environment is the key to definitive stabilization of this area of Lebanon which, thanks to the work of the Blue Helmets, remains calm despite the strong tensions affecting the Middle East.
Source: Unifil MPIO, major Farese
