{"id":295651,"date":"2021-07-07T11:05:09","date_gmt":"2021-07-07T14:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/?p=295651"},"modified":"2021-07-12T18:09:10","modified_gmt":"2021-07-12T21:09:10","slug":"brazilians-could-create-fund-to-help-lebanon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/brazilians-could-create-fund-to-help-lebanon\/","title":{"rendered":"Brazilians could create fund to help Lebanon"},"content":{"rendered":"

S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 A fund could be created in Brazil to help Lebanon emerge from one of the worst economic crises in history. The possibility of launching an initiative such as a trust fund whereby Brazilians could invest in projects in Lebanon was discussed by leaders of the Lebanese and Arab diaspora and diplomats on Tuesday (6) at the headquarter of the S\u00e3o Paulo Commercial Association (ACSP) in the city of S\u00e3o Paulo. The fund would be an opportunity for the Lebanese Brazilian community to help their country of origin.<\/p>\n

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Carla Jazzar in seminar on Lebanon<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The idea was given by ambassador Carla Jazzar, the charg\u00e9 d\u2019affaires at the Embassy of Lebanon in Bras\u00edlia, and welcomed by representatives of the entities of the community who attended the event. The Seminar \u201cUnited for Lebanon\u201d was streamed live on the Internet. After the meeting, a work group is expected to be created to discuss the implementation of the fund and other initiative to help Lebanon in its economic recovery.<\/p>\n

Jazzar talked about the situation and Lebanon and pointed out the severe problems the country has gone through. Housing 400,000 Palestinian refugees and 1 million Syrian refugees, Lebanon was already in a challenging economic situation that has worsened since the Beirut Port blast last year and the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the Beirut tragedy, Brazil sent distress relief to Lebanon.<\/p>\n

The World Bank ranked the Lebanese situation as one of the world\u2019s three most severe crises since the second half of the 19th<\/sup> century, Jazzar said. The diplomat added that within less than two years, the Lebanese pound lost over 100% of its value and the situation could get even worse. This made the purchasing power of the average wage fall sharply. \u201cThis reduces the people\u2019s capacity to pay for food, housing, healthcare,\u201d the diplomat said.<\/p>\n

The World Bank report estimates that over half the Lebanese population could be below the poverty line. According to Jazzar, a survey from late 2020 found that 41% of the households in the country find it challenging to buy foodstuffs and other staple goods. Due to the dwindling Lebanese reserves, it\u2019s been hard to import essentials such as food and fuels. \u201cAs imports drop, pharmacies cannot offer basic medicines,\u201d Jazzar says.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s more on this:<\/p>\n