(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) Beirut March 26 (QNA) - The international community must support Lebanon which has taken in more than one million Syrian and Palestinian refugees the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced as he leaving Beirut today wrapping up a two-day visit to Lebanon.
The UN chief was accompanied by the Presidents of the World Bank and the Islamic Development Bank in a visit aimed to find ways to improve conditions for refugees and to support communities hosting them.
The UN Secretary-General reaffirmed strong international support for Lebanon.Ban said he was "very moved" by his meetings with the people he had met during his time in the country who included Palestinian and Syrian refugees as well as Lebanese women and youth.
He was speaking alongside World Bank President Jim Yong Kim during a press conference in the capital Beirut."The world owes the Lebanese people and authorities a great debt for their generosity in hosting over one million refugees from Syria in addition to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees. Lebanon hosts the largest number of refugees per capita in the world. The international community recognizes this contribution and must support Lebanon in its efforts".
The UN chief called on countries to fulfill their commitments to support Syrian refugees.An international conference held in London last month ended with US$10 billion in pledges.
Ban stated that the UN will "spare no effort" in seeking an end to the Syrian conflict.The Secretary General will travel on to Jordan and Tunisia ahead of a High-Level Meeting on the Syrian refugee crisis to be held in Geneva on Wednesday. (QNA)