Working sessions to strengthen the United Nations' commitment to peace and stability in Lebanon

• OSCSEA Deputy Secretary-General Christian F. Saunders visits UNIFIL's Multinational Brigade East

The UNIFIL Multinational Brigade East received a visit from Christian F. Saunders, Deputy Secretary-General of the Office of the Special Coordinator for Improving the United Nations Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OSCSEA). At this official meeting with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Saunders was accompanied by a delegation from the Office of Strategic Partnerships for Peacekeeping (OPSP), with the aim of learning about the situation of the contingents deployed in the Eastern Sector's area of operations.

On the first day, the Secretary General was welcomed at the Miguel de Cervantes base by Brigadier General Ricardo Esteban Cabrejos, head of the Multinational Brigade East. The Spanish military officer, together with his General Staff, gave a detailed presentation on the operational situation, the tasks assigned, as well as the state of the equipment and morale of the blue helmets. Afterwards, the delegation visited the Chinese ROLE facilities and the Spanish contingent's Civil-Military Cooperation Unit (CIMIC).

On the second day, the Secretary and the delegation toured the positions under the responsibility of the Indian and Spanish contingents, as well as the position controlled by Serbian personnel. The following day, the visit finished with a tour of the positions manned by the Indonesian and Nepalese contingents, before moving on to UNIFIL Headquarters, where the official agenda ended.

This visit has reinforced institutional support for the blue helmets and highlighted the international commitment to peace and stability in the region.