Lebanon - Yesterday (30/05) Lebanon’s General Directorate of General Security (GDGS), with the support of IOM and funding from the Government of Kuwait, opened a new arrival terminal at Aboudiyeh border post between Lebanon and Syria.

Construction of the terminal, which is expected to process 6,000 people a day, is part of IOM’s programming to help build up the immigration and humanitarian border management capacity of the Government of Lebanon in the context of the Syria crisis.

In 2014 the GDGS identified the expansion and refurbishment of Aboudiyeh on Lebanon’s northern border with Syria – the country’s second busiest border post after Al Masnaa – as a key priority.

Before Lebanon introduced new entry requirements in October 2015, Aboudiyeh was receiving 4,000- 5,000 people a day - mostly Syrians seeking to escape the ongoing conflict. But the border post was in such a state of disrepair that the GDGS found it nearly impossible to manage the flow of people and even considered closing it.

The renovation project included establishing a separate arrival terminal with a new building that meets international requirements and standards.

The inauguration was attended by IOM Deputy Director General Laura Thompson, Head of the GDGS Major General Abbas Ibrahim and Kuwait Chargé d’Affairs in Lebanon Mohamed El Waqqyan.

Major General Ibrahim said: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Kuwait, led by his Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, for its initiatives in Lebanon in general, and on the funding of this project in particular.”

Ambassador Thompson underlined the importance of creating an environment in which humane, orderly migration can take place. “This new arrival terminal will play an important role in facilitating border crossings for those arriving in Lebanon. This opening marks a significant achievement of partnership, which will benefit migrants and governments alike,” she said.

Chargé d’Affairs Mohamed El Waqqyan noted: “The Kuwait donation to IOM’s office in Lebanon was aimed at establishing an arrival terminal that met international standards to facilitate the movement of people, and especially taking into account those with special needs.”

The arrival terminal represents the completion of Phase I of the project. Phase II will include a departures terminal and final landscaping of the whole border crossing point. IOM has already started fundraising initiatives to finance Phase II.

For further information, please contact Fawzi Al Zioud at IOM Lebanon at Tel: +961 71495464, Email: fzioud@iom.int