The hashtag #NoWasta is being splashed across the World Bank regional vice president's social media pages as the organisation agrees to monitor Lebanon’s vaccine distribution to prevent favours or influence being used to secure doses.
Wasta, Arabic for nepotism, especially from officials and politicians, is a big worry for Lebanese who say that connections will probably decide their place in the queue for Covid-19 vaccinations, which began on Sunday.
But Ferid Belhaj, World Bank vice president for the Middle East and North Africa, has repeatedly said he is committed to ensuring just and equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines.
“Credibility and transparency are the two fundamental elements in all World Bank-financed programmes and projects around the world, without any exceptions," Mr Belhaj tweeted on Sunday.
"And let me say it very clearly: There will be #nowasta."
The World Bank has provided $34 million to fund Covid-19 vaccines in Lebanon – enough for two million people, or about a third of the population.
Many Lebanese posted #NoWasta online, joining the call for fair distribution.
Local media reported that several Lebanese leaders tried to secure vaccines for their entourage and supporters, disregarding global advice to give priority to frontline staff, at-risk groups and the elderly.
The World Bank has teamed up with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to independently monitor Lebanon’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign.
Under this agreement, the federation will be in charge of “monitoring the compliance of the vaccination deployment with national plans, international standards and World Bank requirements in order to ensure safe handling of the vaccines, as well as fair and equitable access to all”.
It will monitor vaccine storage, transport, registration and inoculations, Rana Cassou, a regional spokeswoman for the federation, told The National.
She said it would also check that vaccination centres followed safety protocols and followed up to ensure people received their second doses of the vaccines.
“We had more than 20 monitors across 13 centres today, from the north to the south,” Ms Cassou said.
She said they were all on duty to ensure a smooth second day of vaccinations.
Lebanon started the national campaign with 28,500 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine that were delivered the previous day.
The first person to be vaccinated was Lebanese actor Salah Tizany, 93.
Frontline healthcare workers and the elderly are in the priority group for inoculations, as given in the World Health Organisation’s standards.
Hussein Khachfe, a fourth-year medical student at the American University of Beirut Medical Centre, described the vaccine as a “breather” after having been exposed to the virus on a daily basis while on wards.
He received his first dose on Monday and is excited for the day his family can receive the same protection.
But, like many, Mr Khachfe said he feared the state’s handling of the campaign.
"I have serious concerns about how the state will distribute the vaccine," he told The National.
“I’m worried about misallocation and nepotism in the process.”
Lebanon’s ruling class has long been implicated in corruption, which ignited nationwide protests on October 17, 2019.
Years of mismanagement and misconduct made way for Lebanon’s worst economic crisis, exacerbated by the devastating Beirut blast and the current pandemic.
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
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The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Biography
Her family: She has four sons, aged 29, 27, 25 and 24 and is a grandmother-of-nine
Favourite book: Flashes of Thought by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid
Favourite drink: Water
Her hobbies: Reading and volunteer work
Favourite music: Classical music
Her motto: I don't wait, I initiate
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20CarbonSifr%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202022%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Onur%20Elgun%2C%20Mustafa%20Bosca%20and%20Muhammed%20Yildirim%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Climate%20tech%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%241%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Listen to Extra Time
Bundesliga fixtures
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
