The invisible enemy?known as?coronavirus?disease (COVID-19)?surfaced in Wuhan, China,?in December 2019?and?has now gripped the entire planet, killing hundreds of thousands, throwing the?global?economy into turmoil?and sending?social?shockwaves far and wide.
This unprecedented and?formidable?enemy has not spared?anyone—not even?United Nations peacekeepers. These women and men work?around-the-clock to?maintain?peace?and security?in the most difficult of?situations, far from their family and friends. The virus pandemic has further?compounded?the conditions under?which?peacekeepers?serve.
Let me go deeper into how I,?a?United Nations?peacekeeper from Italy serving in south Lebanon,?have been affected personally,?and how the?United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)?continues to deliver on its mandate despite the acute adversities posed by the pandemic.
As I?have been?a part of?UNIFIL since August 2019, I can identify myself as a witness to the?problems?that?quickly unfolded?in the wake of the COVID-19?outbreak?in Lebanon.?Working together with the host communities, everything we do, think or?talk about?is geared towards containing?the virus’?spread while?adhering to the mission?mandate?set out in?United Nations?Security Council resolution 1701(2006). During these?“corona?times”,?all mandate-related tasks have been?conducted?with extra layers of precaution?and?in accordance with?guidelines from the host Government as well as the World Health Organization.
Being a?United Nations?peacekeeper is an?honour?and?sometimes a hard job,?especially?when?you live far away from your family for a long?period of?time.?It’s even harder when you?also?have to?deal with?this unseen?adversary,?the virus?that is threatening not only you, your mission and the host communities that you are serving, but also your family back home. The challenges are colossal,?especially when you come from one of the hardest-hit countries.
Overcoming the challenges
I am worried about the well-being of my family?back home,?but?they are even more worried about me.?As?the number of COVID-19 cases peaked?in Italy,?they?began?living?under?a nationwide?lockdown,?going out only once a week to buy essential items; this situation persisted?for almost two months.?Fortunately, they fully understand my commitment here in Lebanon and continue to support me. Thanks to technology, we?are able?to?communicate daily?through?videocalls, during which we?encourage each other, allowing me to fulfil my?United Nations?mission?to uphold?peace.
On a positive note, by the time the?first COVID-19?case was confirmed?in Lebanon?at the end of?February?2020, there were enough lessons to learn from hard-hit countries,?including Italy. The strict measures put in place by the Government and UNIFIL helped contain?the?spread?of the virus.?At the time of writing this,?there?were?no?positive?COVID-19 cases?in the camp?in?which?I live,?home to some 900?United Nations?peacekeepers. That’s another comforting factor that helped?reduce my family’s anxiety.
The?support?of my family?and the opportunity offered by UNIFIL have propelled me, as a?United Nations?peacekeeper, to play an active part in this global, unconventional war for the good of the humankind.?This is how I feel: as a peacekeeper, I can contribute to the solution.
Contributing to the solution
When UNIFIL started to support the local communities, I was?honoured?to take part physically?in?the first donation carried out by the mission?to?benefit?Naqoura municipality on 31 March?2020. Delivering medical and protective equipment with the aim of preventing infection and saving?lives makes me?feel?proud and closer?to my comrades in Italy, who are?engaged in similar activities?to protect my countrymen.
At?mission?headquarters, I coordinate and compile details of all UNIFIL donations to local communities before sharing?that information?with the relevant mission components. This helps in our overall response and support to the host communities in containing the spread?of the virus.?I also contribute to fighting the?disease?through my continuous involvement?in?the Strategic Communications and Public Information?Section, in the UNIFIL Coronavirus Crisis Cell (CCC), an emergency team focused on?the?timely sharing of all COVID-19-related news and emergency plans. This is?a?forum in which practical steps are discussed before?they are referred to?leadership.
The?COVID-19 pandemic has affected not only the operational activities?of the?mission,?but?it?has?also?changed our lifestyle?on?base. As many of our fellow civilian peacekeepers are now working from home, I shoulder additional responsibilities. It?is fair to say that we military personnel are “holding the fort” in close coordination with the civilian components of the mission through videoconferences, phone calls and other messaging means. I have the?honour?to represent my unit when physical presence is required.?The whole experience has been an excellent learning?opportunity?in my professional career.
Life in the camp
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, there are new rules in the camp for all of us to?follow?strictly. We are?rigorously?observing social distancing, even during breaktime or at lunch,?which is?now?served in?multiple?shifts?in order to reduce the number of diners,?and seats are organized in a checkerboard pattern.?In addition, sanitizers are?provided?to all offices, workstations?and?accommodations.?These?precautions?are?taken?to minimize?the?possibility of infection.?CCC has played a fundamental role?in these measures,?especially in establishing timely communication channels and?providing?instructions to implement UNIFIL best practices.
UNIFIL personnel wear masks when driving outside of our bases?and?passing through municipalities and villages.?Masks?help protect the local people and demonstrate?that the?UNIFIL?Blue?Helmets are fighting the same battle?that?they are,?and?helping?take?care?of?their health,?as well.
Determined
Despite the emergency restrictions and thinking about what my family back home is going through without me, I muster all?the?necessary energy to?proceed?with my mission.?I am a UNIFIL?Blue?Helmet,?acting in support of?peace in Lebanon,?and?I can’t?tire?while?that work is still underway.
I will not give up on?my?mission?with?UNIFIL. The local people have tremendous trust?in?us?peacekeepers, especially during this time?of?COVID-19; they see us?as role models to emulate during the fight. Working shoulder-to-shoulder with our comrades defeats?our?fear and?gives?space to the?conviction?that UNIFIL can help restore?a?general?sense of?normality, calm and stability,?as envisaged?in?its mandate.
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The 缅北禁地Chronicle is not an official record. It is privileged to host senior United Nations officials as well as distinguished contributors from outside the United Nations system whose views are not necessarily those of the United Nations. Similarly, the boundaries and names shown, and the designations used, in maps or articles do not necessarily imply endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
