This time Lebanon has been faced with the existential threat of the Syrian crisis and the country and its people have confounded and impressed the international community by somehow managing to retain stability amid this unprecedented influx of refugees. Despite all the differences, political, and sectarian divisions the Lebanese have managed what few, if any other, countries could have achieved. I hope the Lebanese population recognizes what an extraordinary credit this is for their own resolve.
I have again been privileged to work alongside Lebanese from all walks of life - mayors, civil society activists, politicians, and aid workers inside and outside the UN - and to again appreciate the extraordinary talent the country has at its disposal.
The challenges that are confronting the Lebanese population and the unfortunate Syrian and Palestinians who have fled the catastrophe of the Syrian civil war are very real and look set to continue. Lebanon will require all of its resourcefulness to remain stable amid these challenges and it must be able to count on the generous and unstinting support, politically and financially, of the international community. Lebanon cannot be expected to bear this extraordinary burden alone. Such investments in Lebanon are in the interest of not only the Lebanese but the international community at large.