IUCN Emergency Taskforce in Lebanon to Assess Oil Spill

15 August 2006

The oil spill in Lebanon

To assess and mitigate the environmental impacts of the conflict in Lebanon , an emergency task force, formed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) has been sent into Lebanon .

The task force will particularly assess the environmental, social and economic impact of the oil spill off Lebanon ’s coast, which was caused by a power station bombing in Lebanon and is now covering an area 120 Kilometers wide. The results will support the assessment of the environmental impacts of the oil spill carried out by other organizations. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), this spill could pose a cancer risk to people living in the affected areas.

The objective of the IUCN mission is to provide technical assistance and devise methods for a preliminary Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) of the oil spill and will facilitate access to relevant methodologies to restore and rehabilitate the environment.

The outcome of the IUCN mission is planned to include recommendations on future actions related to an environmental restoration programme as well as a summary of relevant international agreements regarding oil spills, pollution incidents and the protection of environment during war.

Due to a crucial need for environmental technical assistance in Lebanon and in response to a request by the Lebanese Ministry of Environment, the World Conservation Union has taken the lead to address this issue in coordination with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the European Union and the Jordanian Ministry of Environment. The emergency task force formed by IUCN consists of the IUCN West and Central Asia & North Africa (WESCANA) Regional Office, the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP), and Green Line, an IUCN member NGO from Lebanon .

For more information, please contact Dr. Odeh Al Jayyousi, Regional Director odeh.al.jayyousi@iucn.org or Ms. Hala Kilani, Communication Officer Hala.Kilani@iucn.org