On Monday 5 October, a ceremony took place at the Lebanese Ministry of Defense, to officially handover search and rescue equipment to a range of Lebanese safety and security agencies. The equipment is a donation from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), as part of the technical assistance project Swiss Support to Integrated Border Management (IBM) in Lebanon (Phase 2).
The second phase of the project began in November 2018 and is being implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).The project adopts a rights-based approach to border and migration management, and aims to support the Lebanese security agencies in developing their capacities in protecting human rights of all migrants, including by assisting migrants in vulnerable situations, and ensuring that gender-related vulnerabilities are taken into account. This entails equipping and maintaining adequate and effective rescue services, which led to the choice of items to be donated. The donation comprises equipment for health and safety, search and rescue and communications. It complements other capacity building and training support offered to the project partners in human rights, migration and gender. Present at the ceremony were representatives of the Swiss Embassy in Lebanon and project partners from the Lebanese Armed Forces, Internal Security Forces, General Security, Lebanese Civil Defense and the Tripoli Fire Brigade.
Following the official ceremony, where the items were formally accepted, guests were able to view demonstrations and examples of the equipment being donated which include medical supplies, stretchers, a portable crane, thermal imaging cameras, gas detectors, maritime safety helmets and an automated external defibrillator.
It is hoped that the search and rescue equipment will greatly assist the project partners in saving lives and giving improved health and safety response at Lebanon’s borders, whether on land or at sea.