Morcos meets with UNDP delegation to launch national campaign to promote solidarity, receives producer Sadiq Al-Sabah, Artist Saad Hamdan

Minister of Information, Dr. Paul Morcos, on Tuesday received in his office a delegation from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which included the Peace-building Project Manager, Rami Jabbour, and the Communications and Media Officer for the Peace-building Project, Maya El-Dib.

The meeting was an opportunity to follow up on the launch of the national campaign under the slogans “Together, We Stay Strong, and the Country Recovers Through its People,” aimed at promoting solidarity, empathy, and shared human values in light of the hostile actions, organized by the Ministry of Information in collaboration with the UNDP.

In the wake of the meeting, Minister Morcos said: “Today I received a delegation from the United Nations Development Programme to discuss the launch of the joint national campaign in collaboration with the programme and the ‘Twin’ Association, which is partnering with us on this campaign aimed at strengthening humanitarian and national bonds during times of conflict and wars, such as those Lebanon is currently going through.”

Morcos indicated that “this campaign consists of advertisements, videos, and messages that have begun to be sent to citizens and other public opinion influencers, in order to encourage them to adopt a discourse that calms tensions and focuses on stability instead of stirring sensitivities and fueling divisions among people, which negatively affects civil peace.”

The Minister added: “We are in the process of setting a date to launch this campaign soon in cooperation with audio-visual, print, and digital media outlets.”

Separately, Minister Morcos received in his office Producer Sadiq al-Sabah, who said after the meeting: “I discussed with Minister Morcos the importance that various media outlets and social media platforms adopt a calm discourse in light of the deeply divided opinions in the country. It is essential that we respect one another, even if we have different opinions on many important matters.”

Sadiq also revealed that “Al-Sabah Company welcomed the Ministry of Information’s request for cooperation to produce a series of videos aimed at calming the atmosphere, soothing people’s concerns, and reducing the prevailing tension.”

Morcos also received in his office, Artist Saad Hamdan, who stressed the paramount importance of solidarity among all the Lebanese to overcome the current ordeal and to avoid hate speech.