UNIFIL recently implemented a number of agricultural projects, directly benefiting thousands of residents of Naqoura Municipality in south-western Lebanon, which also hosts the UN mission’s headquarters.

At a ceremony earlier this month, the Chief of Staff of UNIFIL’s Sector West Command, Colonel Raffaele Aruanno, inaugurated several projects: the donation of a 100 KVA generator and a pump for an artesian well, and the installation of a protective barrier for the well site.

The projects aim to supply local residents and farmers with underground water resources and improve agricultural production, which will contribute to their income and quality of life.

While the generator was funded through UNIFIL’s quick impact project (QIP) programme, the funding for the pump and securing the artesian well site came from UNIFIL’s Italian Battalion.

UNIFIL QIPs are small-scale, rapidly implementable projects that aim to address some of the most pressing needs of the host population and support local authorities while strengthening links between UNIFIL and local communities.

Naqoura Mayor Abbas Awada expressed his “sincere gratitude and great appreciation” to UNIFIL peacekeepers, highlighting coordination and cooperation among UNIFIL, local officials, and the people for the area’s economic and social stability.

(UN Photos / Corporal Francesca Rita Giardina)