Dear Lebanon,

It is with sorrow and sadness that we are following the terrible news from Beirut. A frightful event that shocked us deeply and that is furtherly exacerbating the difficult situation of the country. We cannot even imagine the fear and the pain, the grief caused by this tragedy and the impact it will have on your citizens in days to come.

I got to know your land and culture during my very first mission as a member of Microfinanza’s team. When I first reached your mountains, in the extreme winter of January 2019, I got exposed to the beauty and hardship of the Beqaa valley, directly experiencing the fertility of your slopes and how complex your socioeconomic situation can get. Only later I finally reached Beirut, the capital of contrast, the living example of dynamism in the tangled multicultural frame that grows on still tangible scars.

This tragedy adds to the pressure of a deep crisis affecting the country, hardly defined with just one adjective. Financial collapse, extreme social instability of massive groups with different backgrounds (ranging from Lebanese and Syrians, to Palestinians and Ethiopian), environmental threats, political sleaziness and negligence are some of the ingredients clashing with the willingness of a cohesive community fighting for change, involved in a revolutionary movement started in October 2019. This new incredible shock wiped away all this complexity for a moment. It made us reflect on the extreme brittleness of our ecosystems as much as on the deep empathy we share with you, even if extremely far from being able to understand the mourning of your whole society. This calls us out as an international community, made of fragile interactions that cannot prevail on mutualistic needs.

As neighbours, as Mediterranean, as global citizens or financial partners, together we must face this difficulty and embrace your grief. We must cooperate to recover quickly as a whole, not only through immediate resources but also through a long-term commitment of relations and coordination. We have the international responsibility of understanding the key enabling factors able to allow your recovery, overcoming disputes and ensuring transparency. We must strive to foster stability at regional level, engaging in the peaceful resolution of existing wounds. Global emergency support is essential, but how we will participate in structured long-term responses is crucial.

Beirut means complexity, growth, diversity all in once; a city of blackouts, street-art, traffic. Nucleus of an economy unable to rely on its own resources to thrive, still sharply depending on imports of basic goods. Beirut is your core engine, growing on cultural and material exchanges that still well represent its role as an international port. Geographic and political isolation of the country made of naval transportation the main route for basic goods, and this tragedy bursting from its port is a catastrophe itself, without considering the potential effects on food shortages and connected impacts.

As Microfinanza, we strongly believe that the seriousness of Lebanon’s economic, social and environmental threats must be faced in their complexity, as inextricably linked, involving all relevant stakeholders to guarantee political stability and public services for all those who currently reside in the country. A new participated vision must guide Beirut’s reconstruction after this shock, as well as Lebanon’s restoration, focusing on resilient decisions grounded on basic principles of safety and equity as much as on complex implications on ecosystems and citizens.

Guglielmo Mazzà
Microfinanza Srl