I am proud that the United States has done its part to help the Lebanese people over the years, especially as it has felt the effects of the crisis in Syria next door.
Thank you to my friend of 31 years, Secretary Abraham, for that kind introduction. What an honor to be introduced by you, who has been such a point of pride for the Lebanese-American community.
I also want to thank the Rene Moawad Foundation for this wonderful honor.
As many of you know, public service is a tremendous privilege.
But it can also be a turbulent calling, with one sometimes feeling almost constantly under attack.
So, in my time in public service, I have been so grateful to be surrounded by the very large, very protective family that is the Lebanese and Lebanese-American community, and I want to thank all of you for that.
As Spencer mentioned, one other inconvenience of government service is that it can actually make it rather hard to visit the land of your forefathers—at least if that country is Lebanon.
When we were both working in the Bush administration in the 2000s, I was Deputy Secretary at HHS and found myself on a trip through the Middle East, actually on my way to Beirut, when violence broke out in Lebanon.
The conflict forced the cancellation of my trip, and eventually led to 13,000 Americans being repatriated from Lebanon, an effort partly led by HHS.
I was saddened to see that trip canceled for many reasons: My grandfather’s village, Amioun, had so graciously planned a warm reception. And, on July 18, 2006, I was scheduled to have lunch with my friend, Her Excellency Nayla Moawad.
I have still not been able to make it to Lebanon since then—but getting to enjoy this evening with you all feels like a step in the right direction. Thirteen years later, I haven’t been to Beirut—but the Foundation was so gracious as to seat me at the BEIRUT table. It’s a start.
Like all of you, I have been captivated the last week watching events unfold on the streets of Beirut.
I think we can agree that these demonstrations reflect the Lebanese people’s longing for a prosperous and thriving country.
I am proud that the United States has done its part to help the Lebanese people over the years, especially as it has felt the effects of the crisis in Syria next door.
Since 2012, the U.S. government has provided more than $2.8 billion to help Lebanon respond to these unprecedented demands.
We are grateful to Lebanon and its host communities for their extraordinary generosity in supporting the more than 1 million Syrian refugees who have sought refuge in Lebanon.
As someone who has worked on refugee issues around the world, I can personally attest: We understand the strains that this generosity can place on Lebanon’s economy and infrastructure.
We urge Lebanon to continue this important work.
I want to close by reflecting on tonight’s namesake. President Moawad, I think all of us will agree, was a heroic figure in Lebanon’s history.
In the famous ancient Athenian funeral oration, Pericles—who was Greek, not Lebanese, but at least of our common Mediterranean stock—said that heroic men have the whole earth for their tomb.
In their own land, there may be monuments to mark them. But far beyond, in places where there is no monument to mark them, their memories live on in the lives of others. Take these men as your model, Pericles said.
From tonight’s presentations about the foundation, we have seen how Her Excellency Nayla Moawad, and many of you in this room, have built a living monument to President Moawad’s ideals.
In building up Lebanon and the Lebanese community around the world, so many of you in this room have already done well to take Rene Moawad as your model.
I hope, together, we can continue to do so in the years to come.
Thank you so much for having me here this evening, and thank you again for this great honor.
