BEIRUT, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- A World Bank delegation said on Monday that the institution wants to launch a program of 400 million U.S. dollars spanning five years in Lebanon to create job opportunities for the youths.

The World Bank's proposal came during a meeting between its delegation and Lebanese Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Choucair, according to a statement issued by the minister's office.

The World Bank called upon Lebanon to support the program by approving it in the Council of Ministers, the statement said.

For his part, Choucair emphasized the importance of such projects in curbing unemployment among the Lebanese.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun said last year that the unemployment rate in Lebanon has soared to a staggering 46 percent and attributed the high figure to the "grave economic situation and presence of Syrian refugees."