Blerta Aliko, UNDP resident representative to OT: Lebanon's recovery hinges on recovery of its people

L'Orient-Le Jour

26-07-2025

BEIRUT — Appointed as the head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Lebanon, Resident Representative Blerta Aliko took on her role a year ago, shortly before the escalation of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, which erupted on Oct. 8, 2023, into a full-scale war.
Aliko began her career in her home country, Albania, and has worked within the United Nations system since 1996. She has experience in several settings and countries: conflict, mid-income and post-crisis recovery.
Committed to gender equality and women's empowerment, Aliko held various positions within agencies such as UN Women, UNICEF, and served as the Resident Representative of UNDP in Algeria before relocating to Beirut.
In an exclusive interview with L'Orient-Le Jour/Today, Aliko discusses the findings of a new joint report by several U.N. agencies (including the UNDP, U.N. ESCWA, UNICEF, ILO and U.N.-Habitat) on the socio-economic impact of Israel's war on Lebanon and emphasizes the need for reforms to support the country's recovery.
On a socio-economic level, what impact did the war leave on Lebanon?
Approximately 4,300 people have been killed by Israeli strikes, 30 percent of whom were women and children. Nearly 500,000 children saw their education disrupted for several months, and 362 schools were damaged – an impact that threatens to undermine Lebanon's education system and hinder the development of its future human capital. The country's Human Development Index (HDI) has fallen back to 2010 levels, effectively reversing over a decade of development efforts.
On the economic front, the toll has been equally severe. An estimated 689,000 jobs were lost, representing a 25 percent decline in employment during the war, while 15 percent of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) were forced to shut down permanently.
These figures do not account for the extensive damage sustained by productive infrastructure, including factories, farmlands and assets in the tourism sector. Lebanon's productive base has severely regressed and been paralyzed, which will have catastrophic consequences for the country's broader socio-economic development.
What is the price of inaction, stalled reforms and the near-daily Israeli violations of the cease-fire for the country today?
The fundamental cost of inaction is Lebanon's human capital. Unemployment rates are likely to rise further, and in a country with a young population, prolonged joblessness will inevitably push more people toward alternative means of income generation, such as migration, thereby exacerbating the ongoing brain drain.
These trends are neither sustainable nor supportive of national recovery. Continued violations of the cease-fire and the stalling of reforms also risk eroding public trust in state institutions and the newly formed government, authorities in whom many had placed renewed hope. That optimism must be channeled into tangible results. Failure to do so could seriously undermine Lebanon's broader peace and security.
What do you call on the government to do today to counter the lingering impact of the war and the multifaceted economic crisis?
Lebanon's recovery hinges on the recovery of its people. If Lebanese citizens do not feel tangible improvements in their daily lives (basic services, job opportunities and overall living conditions), then we cannot speak of a recovery for Lebanon.
Even if the country were to report economic growth, that growth must translate into real, lived improvements. I've seen firsthand how, in other countries, reported growth has failed to translate into practical improvements such as poverty reduction and meaningful job creation. For Lebanon, economic recovery must be planned in an inclusive way.
In the report, we strongly emphasized that the first step toward meaningful recovery is rebuilding state institutions and restoring their core functions. A strong, capable state is essential, not only to deliver services efficiently and accountably, but also to ensure national ownership and serve its citizens with credibility.
The second priority is jumpstarting the country's economic recovery. As I've mentioned, optimism and trust will only return when people begin to see and feel concrete results, such as access to jobs and equitable services like water, health and education. The third pillar is strengthening social protection and expanding assistance programs to curb rising poverty levels across all regions of Lebanon.
Finally, reforming the financial sector is crucial, and financial inclusion is a top priority. Today, 80 percent of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) rely on access to financing, and this sector remains a vital engine for job and wealth creation. But with the banking sector paralyzed by delayed reforms, MSMEs can't get back on their feet or scale up at the necessary pace.