In an exclusive interview with LBCI, Tom Fletcher, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, reflects on his deep connection to Lebanon, the pressing humanitarian crises in the region, and his unwavering belief in the resilience of the Lebanese people.
Fletcher discusses his recent visit to the South of Lebanon, the devastation caused by ongoing conflicts, and the critical need for transparency and global solidarity to address funding gaps in relief efforts.
He also highlights the importance of coexistence, the challenges of Syrian refugees’ return, and the humanitarian priorities for 2025 in both Syria and Gaza.
Here is the full transcript of the interview with LBCI:
Rawad Taha: Mr. Tom Fletcher, thank you so much for this interview and for this opportunity. And welcome back to Lebanon.
Tom Fletcher: Thank you. It's fantastic to be back. It's tough circumstances, and it's been a tough day, but it's wonderful to feel the energy and the vibration of Lebanon.
Rawad Taha: Indeed. So you have been appointed as the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at a time when the entire region is facing catastrophic conditions if one can say from the ongoing war in Gaza, the aftermath of the war and economic crisis here in Lebanon and the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria, and the change of regime, possibly, and also the humanitarian crisis in Syria after such a prolonged war, so many pressing issues.
But before we delve into all of that, allow me to take you back to 2013 and 2015, two beautiful letters you wrote about Lebanon back then, I was just 16 years old, and I do still remember how impactful these letters were on the media, on social media, and even how they impacted me personally.
You spoke about change and the power of Lebanon's youth. You spoke about the Lebanese diaspora. You spoke even about Lebanon's hardships from the Internet and the electricity crisis, and you focused a lot on prioritizing national interests.
Now, almost a decade after that, Lebanon is still suffering. In a decade, you missed monumental events from the COVID-19 pandemic, a youthful revolution in 2019, the world's largest non-nuclear explosion, and most recently, this war. You said back then that you are investing in "Lebanon of 2020," and yet we're still here in even a worse condition and in the same old political deadlock. Do you still invest in "Lebanon 2030?"
Tom Fletcher: A 100%. I've never stopped believing in Lebanon, and I say that with all the idealism that I had in those letters, and maybe I was too idealistic, I wasn't very diplomatic in those letters, I know, but I still feel that even with everything you've been through, and look, I've seen it. I've been in the South of Lebanon today; I watched in horror after the Beirut explosion at the port. I watched in horror at the financial crash. You know, waves and waves of tragedy and disruption and despair. And yet, there's something special about Lebanon, isn't there? There's something magical. And so I'm still buying shares in "Lebanon 2030."
Rawad Taha: You're still buying shares in "Lebanon 2030!"
Tom Fletcher: Absolutely. And it's because of the talent and the youth and the vibrancy of the people, there's still an energy here that I don't experience anywhere else. And I said that I would always be, even though I was no longer an ambassador to Lebanon, that I would try to be an ambassador for Lebanon, and you know those letters, I'll tell you a crazy story.
When I arrived in New York to do this job, I was driving in the taxi into the center of New York, and I couldn't get any dollars out of my bank account because I was changing countries and so on. So I said to the taxi driver, take me to any Lebanese restaurant in New York. And he said, you know, what is this? Is this some kind of strange, you know, who is this guy? Is this like a kidnapped thing?
I said, no, no, please, just take me to any Lebanese restaurant. And he took me to a Lebanese restaurant. I walked in, and someone said, "سيد السفير أهلا وسهلا" (Mr. Ambassador, welcome), and it was someone who remembered those letters. And he said, come and sit down, have a glass of wine. We'll get you some dollars. You can pay me back tomorrow. And this is that sense of having that global network of people who look out for each other. It's terrific.
Rawad Taha: We're going to talk more about that global network, but first, I'm going to start with the most pressing issue here in Lebanon; I'm going to start with your visit to the south today. What was your first reaction? You visited the south before; how was your reaction to seeing this devastation, this destruction?
Tom Fletcher: It's heartbreaking. It's really heartbreaking when you know and love a place the way I do to see the level of destruction and desolation in places, the rubble, you know, I visited a hospital, which was the only hospital out of seven in one district to remain functioning, you know, for 35 villages.
And we've got to be absolutely clear that hospitals, schools, civilian infrastructure must never, ever be targeted in conflict. So it's a tragedy to see. But what I also saw was humanitarians led by the Lebanese communities who were rebuilding, who were emerging from the rubble, putting their lives back together again.
I also met the nurses and doctors and teachers who carried on all the way through that bombardment, supporting the wider community and that, you know, my job now is to represent the global humanitarian movement, and that for me, is the front line of humanitarianism, when you see people going out towards the conflict in order to help the victims of it.
Rawad Taha: Have you met also with Lebanese officials during your visit? Did you meet the caretaker prime minister, the speaker of parliament, or possibly the army commander, given that you were in the area south of the Litani River? What did you tell them, and what did you hear from them?
Tom Fletcher: So everyone in Lebanon thinks I'm here to do some politics, and I've been hearing all sorts of rumors about the various political deals I might be involved in, but actually, I'm here. It's a humanitarian mission. I'm here to look purely at how we can deliver the maximum support to this huge number of people in need across Lebanon. But yes, as part of that mission, I've met several members of the government. I've just come from a meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
You know, although I left ten years ago, many of the personalities that I was dealing with in those days. So there's been, on one level, huge amounts of change, but there's also some continuity as well. So I've been renewing some old friendships, but now, using those conversations and those relationships to work out, how do we maximize international support for Lebanon?
We cannot allow the fact that there are so many crises in the world right now. You know, I'm dealing with the crisis in Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and so many others globally, but I'm really determined that we don't let attention move away from the huge needs that we find here.
Rawad Taha: Indeed, you're talking about these huge needs. We know for a fact that a lot of the pledges and a lot of the programs have some sort of a funding gap from what is really needed and what's been raised, or what's been contributed. What's the current status of the relief efforts for Lebanon? Where do we stand? How big is the gap?
Tom Fletcher: So this is a this is a problem across a huge number of the funds that I'm working on at the moment. So globally, we're trying to raise money for 190 million people in need, and we need $47 billion and last year, our overall appeals were under 50% funded.
So it's a difficult moment to raise money from the international community. Many countries are looking inward. You know, we've got to remake, reset global compassion, remake the case again for global solidarity. The Lebanon fund is about 60% funded, which is good compared to many, but not good enough for us. And my job now is to try and close that gap. And that's the conversation I've been having with the government, the caretaker government today. How can we make the case that we have a really strong plan, that we are coordinating really effectively, and that the money will go where it's meant to go, which is to reach people who are most in need.
Rawad Taha: This was exactly my follow-up question. There is a lot of concern about corruption when it comes to aid distribution or possibly exploiting those resources for political benefits, especially the political parties active on the ground trying to garner some sort of political support through the distribution of the allocation aid. How are you making sure that that is not happening and won't happen in the future?
Tom Fletcher: So two things, really. I mean, firstly, it's really important [to have] a transparent Lebanon recovery plan that the public can see, so they can see where the government thinks the aid should be allocated. And that's been a big part of the conversation today, the importance of that transparency. And you know, as the caretaker Prime Minister just told me, it's in their interests as well, that that is open and understood by the public.
Second, you know, just to make sure, because, you know, we need incredibly robust mechanisms. We have checks and balances all the way through the aid that we deliver to ensure that it is impartial, neutral, and independent and spent exactly where it needs to be spent. Because for me, if we're not doing that, then the donors won't give us the money we need. So that transparency and those checks and balances are absolutely crucial to the work I do.
Rawad Taha: So, the funding gaps that we spoke about, are they primarily related to "donor fatigue" and the fact that there's just so many humanitarian crises around the world, or is it possibly also related to that?
Tom Fletcher: Well, I mean, I think so donors will always be looking very carefully to make sure that there isn't that corruption or political exploitation kicking in. But I think it's the first is more significant. It is a level of "donor fatigue," but also, you know, the fact that the classic donors are, in many cases, experiencing their own economic challenges.
You know, since the financial crash in 2008 and 2009, it's become harder and harder to make the case for overseas aid. And politically, those countries, as I say, are looking more inward.
You know, when I said in Lebanon, back in 2014, and those sorts of letters, I said, if we can't win the argument for coexistence here, we'll lose it elsewhere. Actually, many of my predictions didn't come true, but that one did. We have lost the argument for coexistence again and again and again in other societies, too. And it's why I come back to Lebanon again and again. Because if we can win that argument here, then I think we can win it elsewhere, too.
Rawad Taha: In particular, I've had that quote, or that statement, in particular, as a bridge to the next question.
Tom Fletcher: Oh, good. You're ahead of me.
Rawad Taha: Yeah, you've also mentioned the fact that Lebanon was the first country in the region to stand against dictatorship and tyranny in the 21st century. One may say that Lebanon witnessed, possibly, a very early version of the Arab Spring. Today, we're living in the aftermath of the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria following a revolution and a prolonged Civil War. How did it feel driving into Syria from Lebanon after the collapse of the regime?
Tom Fletcher: It was extraordinary. And you know, I lived in Yarze for over four years, in Beirut, and never crossed that border. And there were moments when we thought the Assad regime was close to falling and when we thought that we would have to go back in and set up an embassy and deal with the new administration. But of course, it never happened during my time here, and so to cross the border for the first time and then drive up to Damascus, and then on from there, through Homs, Aleppo, Idlib, all the way up to the border with Turkey, Bab Al-Hawa, was an incredible road trip, but it was also a road trip through hell, because in Homs, in Aleppo and elsewhere, you could see the damage the conflict had done. You could see the areas that had been destroyed by the barrel bombs of the regime.
I was meeting people who'd lost 10, 11, 12 relatives in Sednaya prison. I was meeting civilians who've been displaced for over a decade now. So you really saw the horrors for civilians of not just the last decade but beyond, but also of the recent conflict. So it's very, very moving to see all that, but also to feel that there was hope there. People are nervous; of course they are. They've come through immense trauma, but there is also a sense that now they might be able to rebuild their country and rebuild their lives.
Rawad Taha: What are the key priorities for 2025 in Syria in particular? Do you think that a shift towards a recovery phase could start, or the country and the United Nations could be stuck in a prolonged humanitarian phase?
Tom Fletcher: Well, it was interesting. I mean, I talked to Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the caretaker administration, and to the prime minister there. And, you know, they said that they looked me up and on the Internet, it says I have the hardest job in the world. And they said they probably have the harder job now, I have the second hardest now, you know, rebuilding the country, putting it all back together, will be very, very hard, but I was impressed by the way that they're thinking about how to govern. They're thinking about how to rebuild. They're thinking about the infrastructure that needs to be put in place, the international support they need. So there is a massive humanitarian challenge, and that was my focus, getting the aid moving through the borders, getting the access we need to people in such huge, huge need across the country.
But there is also a big development challenge to get the infrastructure back in, to rebuild the schools, rebuild the hospitals, to provide livelihoods for Syrian civilians and to give people confidence in their country once again. And if the new administration there gets that right, then I think that many Syrians across the region, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, and Europe will feel more confident that they can return safely and rebuild their lives.
Rawad Taha: That was also my follow-up question. Will there be some sort of an effort to possibly work on refugees' return from Lebanon to Syria? That is something that a lot of Lebanese are very concerned about.
Tom Fletcher: Well, look, the Lebanese have been incredibly generous hosts of Syrian refugees when I was here, you know, even 12 years ago, and I was saying, you know, it's not for too long. You know, none of us thought that this crisis would last as long as it has. So first point, huge gratitude, really, to the Lebanese people for that generosity. It's really important now that we don't rush the return.
Now I know that won't go down well politically with many people here, but it's really important that we can rebuild those neighborhoods for those refugees to go back to, so they're not constantly moving back and forth. And we can do that together. And in the meantime, we can continue to support Lebanon with all the challenges of hosting those refugees. They do want to go back.
You know, all my conversations with those on the move and many, many thousand are on the move back now demonstrate that they do want to go back. But I visited those areas where there are still unexploded munitions when there are no schools, hospitals, we've got to get some infrastructure in place to make it possible to go back safely, so it will happen, and we will all work together to manage that transition, but we also have to be patient and generous while those conditions are being put into place.
Rawad Taha: So I know for a fact that the primary program that is responsible for dealing with refugees, obviously, UNHCR, but there are also questions by the Lebanese people that when it comes to relief and direct help, a lot of people here in Lebanon, especially those who are under the poverty line, when we talk about multidimensional poverty, we're talking about over possibly 80% they question why there is direct cash assistance to such a huge number of Syrian refugees, but it is not the same when it comes to the Lebanese, who've also handled the burden of the refugee crisis, along with all the crises we've mentioned before.
Tom Fletcher: So that's why I've always been a big supporter of programs that support the host communities as well as refugees. And when I was here, I was involved in many of those programs with local municipalities, so that the burden was clearly shared, and the benefits were clearly shared as well. I think that's completely vital if people are to feel they have a stake and that their generosity is being recognized.
Rawad Taha: We have some very short time. So I'm going to quickly ask you a couple of very quick questions.
When it comes to coexistence, that was the question that brought us to discuss Syria. Do you fear for coexistence in Syria, given the fact that a lot of people are concerned with the nature of the transition in the new regime?
Tom Fletcher: There's a risk, and we're all watching it carefully. And I told the new administration that that's one of the things we would judge them for. We'd look at the quality of the partnership, on how you know whether they were genuinely inclusive, how they treated women and girls, and how we could cooperate together. They gave me some very strong answers that they plan to govern in an inclusive way. And on behalf of all Syrians.
Rawad Taha: Is there any efforts when it comes to the detainees in prisons, both Syrians and Lebanese?
Tom Fletcher: There has to be accountability for all those who lost their lives. There has to be protection for the survivors. You know, the violence and the horror has just been shocking. We've been seeing it on our phones, and we have to hold to account the leadership.
Rawad Taha: Before we conclude this interview, there is also one last major humanitarian crisis in the region, which is to the south of our border, the Gaza Strip. So we've known that there's been a lot of talk and a lot of funding, but when it comes to the situation on the ground, it is really a terrible humanitarian situation. Not any of the aid is possibly doing anything for the Gaza Strip and the people in Gaza. What could be done in 2025, and what further pressure can the U.N. do?
Tom Fletcher: So it's a massive humanitarian crisis, and the situation for civilians in Gaza is utterly terrible. You know, there's no way of describing it otherwise, and you're right that it's very hard for us to deliver in these circumstances. We're only getting a fraction of the aid through that is needed. But we are humanitarians and we keep trying. We keep trying to find ways through. We keep arguing with the Israeli government, with other powers in the region, to help create the conditions where we can deliver the aid that we need to, but ultimately, here, we need peace. We need a ceasefire. We need to open up those borders so we can get the aid in to those who so badly need it. We need somehow to restore hope to people in Gaza because, at the moment, it feels pretty hopeless.
Rawad Taha: Mr. Tom, those were my questions unless there is anything that you want to add.
Tom Fletcher: Just to say it's so fantastic to be back in, and I know that the situation is tough, but I've also seen that spirit of the Lebanese people in evidence again, and I will certainly be doing everything I can do to support Lebanon enter a new phase. And as I say, I've never stopped believing in Lebanon, and I won't stop believing in Lebanon, and as ever, I encourage a call on the people of Lebanon to have that optimism as well.
Rawad Taha: Thank you so much for this interview, and welcome back to Lebanon, as I mentioned first when we started. Thank you.