30 May 2016—Today, the General Directorate of General Security (GDGS) of Lebanon, with the support of IOM, opened the new arrival terminal of Aboudiyeh border post between Lebanon and Syria. The project is funded by the Government of Kuwait.
As part of the overall IOM programming to help build the immigration and humanitarian border management capacity of the Government of Lebanon in the context of the Syria crisis, funds from Kuwait contributed to the construction of a new arrival terminal at the Aboudiyeh border crossing point in North Lebanon that meets the most stringent international requirements.
Substantial infrastructure support to Lebanon’s Aboudiyeh border post on the northern border with Syria had been identified as a key priority by GDGS in 2014. This border post is Lebanon’s second busiest, after the Al Masnaa border post. Before new entry requirements came into effect in October 2015, Aboudiyeh was receiving four to five thousand people per day, mostly Syrians seeking to escape the ongoing conflict. Despite this, the border post was in a state of severe disrepair and urgently interventions.
With the state of disrepair at Aboudiyeh, and the fact that its infrastructure was severely outdated, GDGS had been unable to effectively manage the flow of migrants – forced or otherwise – and even considered closing the border post altogether.
Immediate interventions under this project included establishing a separate arrival terminal with a new building the meets international requirements and standards. Construction of the border post was undertaken in 2014, and is expected to serve 6,000 people daily.
The inauguration was attended by Major General Abbas Ibrahim, the head of GDGS, H.E. Mohamed El Waqqyan, chargé d’affairs of Kuwait’s embassy to Lebanon, and Ambassador Laura Thompson, Deputy Director General of IOM.
Major General Abbas Ibrahim said, “On this occassion, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the brotherly state of Kuwait, lead by his highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, for its initiative towards 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, saying, “This new arrival terminal at Aboudiyeh 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 government officials alike.”
The H.E. Mohamed El Waqqyan noted, “The Kuwait donation to IOM’s office in Lebanon was aimed at establishing an arrival terminal at the same level as international standards to facilitate the movement of people, and especially taking into account those with special needs.”
This arrival terminal represents the completions 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.