On August 4, over 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded in Beirut’s port, devastating the Lebanese capital and sending its import economy into a deeper spiral. Prior to the blast, the country was already facing the worst economic crisis in its history, intensified by deteriorating food security and staggering food inflation at 190 percent. Now, without access to the port, which was responsible for roughly 80 percent of the country’s imports, Lebanon has reached a critical point. Significant international and domestic intervention is needed in the immediate, but long-term investment that is rooted in food security, the protection of labor rights, and strong accountability and transparency mechanisms cannot be ignored.
Join the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) for a virtual roundtable on October 21 at 11:00 am EST with TIMEP’s Kareem Chehayeb, Economist Dima Krayem, and the World Food Programme’s Malak Jaafar, moderated by AFP’s Maya Gebeily, as they reflect on the state of the country’s food security, discuss the root causes of Lebanon’s economic breaking point, and address how the current crisis can be alleviated, while still bringing about necessary structural reforms.
View the event here: