‘Cairos or Crisis? Unwinding Lebanon’s Path to Stability and Peace’ is the title and theme of the high-level side event organized by the Sovereign Order of Malta within the 61st Munich Security Conference (MSC) that will take place on February 14, at 9.30 at Königssaal, Hotel Bayerischer Hof.
Lebanon and the entire Middle East are undoubtedly once again at a cross-roads. Recent developments have opened windows of opportunity to re-build peace, but they have also increased the risk of failure. This high-level side-event co-hosted by the MSC and the Sovereign Order of Malta – a leading humanitarian actor in Lebanon and the broader region for nearly a millennium – seeks to offer a platform to discuss Lebanon’s winding path to stability and peace and the risks and opportunities along it.
The Grand Chancellor of the Order of Malta, Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo, will open the high-level session bringing into focus the need for a long-term effort of stabilization and reconstruction of Lebanon, a country that has suffered heavily not only from the recent military operations, but also as a result of the crises of the last year. The Grand Chancellor will underline that the future of Lebanon also depends on the regional context: “The Middle East and, within it, the Holy Land, which, for historical and cultural reasons, is cherished by the Order of Malta, is again at crossroads”.
After the keynote speech of Najib Mikati, Former Prime Minister of the Lebanese Republic, there will be a first discussion panel moderated by Souad Mekhennet, Editor of Washington Post. Among the speakers expected: Cindy Hensley McCain, Executive Director, World Food Programme; Marwan Muasher, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; Ján Kubiš, Former Special Coordinator for Lebanon, United Nations; Hagar Chemali, Former Senior Director for Lebanon & Syria, National Security Council, United States of America. The session will focus on the imperative for steady and coordinated outside support to the processes of stabilization, reconstruction, and the return of refugees, and on the commitment of Lebanon’s political forces to the revitalization of crucial institutions.
Aim of the second session is to provide a space to share visions and approaches for the preservation of the rich cultural and religious diversity that makes Lebanon so unique. This panel will be attended by the Director of Carnegie Middle East Center of Beirut Maha Yahya, the Patriarch Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II of Antioch, the President of the Lebanese Association of the Sovereign Order of Malta Marwan Sehnaoui.
The event scheduled on Friday 14 February from 9.30 to 11.00 CET will be livestreamed on the Order of Malta’s Youtube channel: https://youtube.com/live/_B5_wepSwCM?feature=share
