Social and Economic Development · Social and Economic Development Integrated Regional Development Projects Economic and Social Fund for Development The Economic and Social Fund for

Social Infrastructure58 CDR October 2012

Social and EconomicDevelopment

Integrated RegionalDevelopment ProjectsEconomic and Social Fundfor DevelopmentThe Economic and Social Fundfor Development (ESFD) wasfounded pursuant to an agreementsigned between the Lebanesegovernment represented by theCDR (EUR 6 million) and theEuropean Commission (EUR 25million). Since its foundation, in2002, the ESFD worked on theelaboration of action programsand mechanisms aiming atcombating poverty andunemployment. The first periodwas a trial period of cooperationwith the ESFD partners(municipalities and national

banks) in terms of creating newjob opportunities and promotinglocal development process inNorth and South Lebanon. Afterthis period, the ESFD expanded itsscope of action and launched newinitiatives in the framework of itsprograms. Its projects set moreaccurate objectives and programs. In 2004, the ESFD published astudy on the national strategy onsocial development whichreviewed the concepts of socialdevelopment adopted around theworld and came up with a nationalconcept of social development.The study relied on a fieldresearch covering the poorestdistricts and poverty pockets in anumber of Lebanese regions and

suburbs. As a result, the needs andpriorities of a number of villagesand poverty pockets (80 villagesand regions) were identified inorder to determine the neededgovernmental and civilinterventions and to concentratethese interventions on the neediestregions especially in Akkar,Hermel and Tripoli.The ESFD also participated in theefforts aiming at supporting theeconomic recovery and thereconstruction after July 2006aggression, as a result of signing anew funding treaty (MED) withthe EU estimated at EUR 6million, aiming at carrying outpriority projects by war-affectedmunicipalities.

Social Infrastructure 59CDR October 2012

The distribution of loans in the 4th quarter of 2011 among the Lebanese mohazafazats (governorates)and sectors was as follows:

The achievements of the ESFDcould be determined in the light ofits two main components: jobcreation and local development.

Job Creation Component:The job creation component aimsat helping SME entrepreneursexpand their activities or launchnew projects. Since 2003 and untilDecember 2011, the number ofparticipating small and mediumprojects funded by the ESFDreached 6283 projects throughloans that amounted to US$ 86million, the number of jobscreated was 3894.

Major Achievements until 2011Within the framework of thefinancing agreement LBN/B7-4100/IB/99/0225, and consideringthe importance of the servicesprovided by the ESFD through its“job creation” component, US$ 26million have been allocated forfunding lines and the procurementof Business DevelopmentServices (BDS). The majorachievements realized throughthis component until December31, 2011 are listed below:Funding private projects includingsmall and medium enterprises(SMEs) or micro-enterprises in

different sectors in order toincrease job opportunities in allthe Lebanese regions and indifferent sectors by allocatingproduction loans with incentivesmade available by the four bankswhich are partners and funders ofthe ESFD and have 168 branchesspread all over the Lebaneseterritory (Crédit Libanais, BanqueLibanaise pour le Commerce,SGBL and JTB). In the 4thquarter of 2011, 173 privateprojects were funded by the ESFDfor an amount of LBP 4.2 billion.They created around 164 jobs.

3% 12%

20%

33%

20%

12%

BeirutBekaa

Mount Lebanon

So%12

%16

%38

%34

Trade

Services

Industry

Agriculture


As for the US$ 5.5 billion MEDfinancing agreement signed withthe European Union in August2007, the ESFD signed contractswith three partner banks in Marchand April 2009. By the end of2011, BLC and SGBL had spentall their funds, while CL still had20% of his. During 2011, 254 loans weregranted to business ownersaffected by the July 2006aggression. The total number ofsmall and medium projects fundeduntil December 2011 through theMED financing agreement 450loans for a total amount of LBP8,122 billion.

• Providing Business DevelopmentServices (BDS) to individualsand SMEs to enable them to getfinancial loans in order toestablish or develop theirbusiness. To achieve this goal,the ESFD had recourse toexperts giving necessaryguidelines to these individualsand enterprises, guidelines whichwould help them choose the typeof activity, establish actionplans, determine the expectedproductivity and prepare a fulldossier in order to get a loanfrom an ESFD partner bank.These business developmentexperts also follow up on theseprojects. In 2011, the ESFDrelied on a team of 16 FreelanceBusiness Advisors to offer BDSsto 370 beneficiaries from aroundLebanon. The total number ofsmall and medium projectsfunded by the ESFD with thehelp of Freelance BusinessAdvisors since 2003 and untilDecember 2011, 1027 loans for a

total amount of LBP 15.2 billion.

Main Orientation of the JobCreation Component - Period2011-2012-Risk Sharing Scheme (RSS)In 2009, the job creationcomponent relied on financialresources provided by RevolvingFunds to guarantee the financialsustainability of the ESFD.The decision of going forwardwith the RSS stems from the needto respond to the Lebanesemarket’s changes. In fact, theESFD is acting through a newmodel to benefit from the liquidityavailable to the Lebanese banksand urge these banks to use it infavor of SMEs. Nevertheless, theESFD will bear 50% of the risksrelated to lending to SMEs, themain goal of this model being toserve as much SMEs as possible,in particular those that weren’table to obtain loans for the lack ofcollaterals.The number of private projectsfinanced by the four ESFD partnerbanks under the RSS reached 561projects, totaling LBP 14 billionand creating 450 jobs. In 2011, the CDR contactedseveral banks to create newpartnerships. BLOM Bank andFirst National Bank (FNB) werechosen to participate to the RSS. -UNDP Art-Gold GuaranteeFund: local economicdevelopment loansIn response to the UNDP request,The ESFD decided to manage theUS$ 1.5 million Guarantee Fundwithin the UNDP Art-Goldproject. The partnershipagreement between the ESFD andFirst National Bank was signed in

August 2010, several preliminarymeetings were held followed byan orientation seminar on the 10thof December 2010. The GuaranteeFund was launched early in 2011,and the first loan was granted inSeptember 2011. By the end of2011, the number of fundedprojects in the South, North andBekaa was 11 projects with a totalvalue of US$ 182,000.

Local Development Component:The local development componentaims at improving livingconditions of the poorest and mostdeprived communities in Lebanonby providing grants and technicalassistance to municipalitiesserving as the link between theESFD and these communities. Thetotal number of achieved projectsfunded through grants of theESFD since 2003 and untilDecember 2011, was 64 projectswith a total amount of EUR7,086,267. The projects weremainly located in Akkar andTripoli in the North and severaldistricts of the Bekaa and theSouth. The total amount of theachieved projects was EUR7,959,075.


Distribution of achieved by sector (2003-2011)

Major Achievements – Period2003-2011 By the end of 2011, in theframework of the financingagreement B7-4100/IB/99/0225/LBN, the local

development component hadsupervised the implementation of54 grant contracts covering 39Lebanese villages and aiming atimproving living conditions ofabout 145000 residents in these

villages.An EU grant worth EUR6.091.867 funds this component inorder to carry out 54 projects inpartner local communities.

%8

%3

%23

%8 -%5

%27

%17%9

23%

8% -5

27

%-

%

8%

3%

8%

1%


Project Contract Value (US$)

Funding Source

Implementation Start Date

Date of completion

Agroprocessing Olive oil press – Akroum - Akkar

419,370 Lebanese government,

ESFD, Municipal council

Building and equipping a dairy and fruit processing plant – Arsal – Baalback


ESFD, Municipal

council Building and equipping an agricultural service center with an olive processing unit – Loubieh – Saïda


ESFD, Municipal

council Building and equipping an agricultural service and processing center – Al Boustan – Sour


ESFD, Municipal

council Establishing a dairy processing center – Al Kawashra – Akkar


ESFD, Municipal

council

30/06/2011

Agriculture and Irrigation Agricultural municipal center – Aytaroun – Bent Jbeil

83,160 EU

Agricultural municipal center – Mishmish – Akkar

201,391 EU

31/12/2010

31/12/2011

03/06/2011

30/06/2011

08/12/2004 31/12/2006

31/12/200708/12/2004

23/12/2008

23/12/2008

23/12/2008

24/12/2008

22/12/2008

supply – – 226,030 EU

supply – –

98,000 EU

– –

119,700 EU

– –

84,000 EU

– Rchaf –

105,700 EU

n –

Dloum, Mar Touma –

284,968 EU

31/12/2008

31/12/2008

31/12/2008

31/12/2008

31/12/2008

31/12/2008

3

29/12/2005

30/12/2005

21/12/2005

21/12/2005

10/07/2007

06/07/2007

2


– Mhammara – 86,380 EU

– Ghozaili –

168,690 EU

– Danbou – 225,470 EU

– -

129,920 EU

– Toulin –

122,850 EU

– Al Mari – Hasbaya

299,600 ,

ESFD, Municipal

council

Social Development and Vocational Education

91,035 ,

ESFD, Municipal council

23/12/2008

– -

156,730 ,

ESFD, Municipal

31/12/2008

31/12/2008

31/12/2008

31/12/2008

30/06/2011

31/12/2010

23/12/200923/12/2008

24/12/2008

10/07/2007

06/07/2007

09/07/2007

01/07/2007

09/07/2007

2

20/12/2008

council Social development center – Danbou – Akkar

42,000 Lebanese government, ESFD, Municipal council

Daycare – Aytaroun – Bent Jbeil

135,311 EU

– Aytaroun – Bent Jbeil 72,520 EU

– Mishmish – Akkar 118,930 EU

Cultural center – At Tireh – Bent Jbeil

159,600 EU

E and cultural center – Adshit -


31/12/2006

31/12/2006

31/12/2007

23/12/2009

31/12/2011

3

23/12/2008

22/12/2008

08/12/2004

08/12/2004

08/12/2004

05/13/2010

3

31/12/2010


and center –

Mhammara – Akkar


– Al hra – Akkar


ESFD, Municipal

council

30/06/2011

Public Health Health care center – Danbou – Akkar


Health care center – Rchaf – Bent Jbeil


Improving health services – –

Ghobeiri


Health care center – Mishmish – Akkar

127,085 EU

31/12/2010

31/12/2010

31/12/2010

31/12/20078/12/2008

22/12/2008

22/12/2008

23/12/2008

23/12/2008

30/12/2008

2

31/12/2011

3

Local health care center – Toulin - Marjeyoun

210,000 EU

Building and equipping a physiotherapy center – Arsal - Baalback


ESFD, Municipal

council

Sanitation and Solid Waste – Al

Khodor - Baalback 476,224 Lebanese

government, ESFD, Municipal council

24/12/2008 20/12/3110

disposal – and Ghobeiri area


23/12/2008 20/12/3110

– Majdala, Deir Dloum, Mar Touma – Akkar

284,968 EU 7/7/2008

31/12/201110/07/2007

10/07/2007 31/12/2008

31/12/2008


Waste processing plant – Aytaroun - Bent Jbeil

232,578 EU 8/12/2004

– Halta – Hasbaya


ESFD, Municipal

council

30/06/2011

Sport facilities Danbou center for youth sports – Danbou – Akkar


23/12/2008

Sports courts – Sarbine – Bent Jbeil

105,500 EU

Roads and Infrastructure Rehabilitation –

Aytaroun – Bent Jbeil 52,500 EU

centers’ entrances – Mishmish – Akkar

58,750 EU

Bridge – Mishmish – Akkar 48,750 EU Landscaping the commercial area located on Mhammara

– Mhammara – Akkar

75,736 EU

24/12/2004

30/12/2005

30/9/2003

01/05/2008

30/09/200309/07/2007

31/12/200731/12/2008

31/12/2008

31/12/2006

31/12/2008

31/12/2010

31/12/2006

3

Restructuring electricity

camps - Ghobeiri area


23/12/2008

Other sectors Purchase of two lifeboats one

tourists, and alley – Tripoli


23/12/2008 31/03/2010

- Old Mina area – Tripoli


23/12/2008 31/03/2010

- Old Mina area - Tripoli


23/12/2008 31/03/2010

31/12/2010

3

Main achieved projects within MED financing agreement (2009-2011)


Financing agreement MED/2006/018-303 Toward the end of 2011, the localdevelopment component achieved9 grant agreements, benefiting 13Lebanese villages within the

framework of the MED financingagreement. The agreements aimedat rehabilitating the infrastructureof villages affected by the 2006aggression. The funding, amounting to EUR

994,400 is provided by the EU andthe total amount of theseagreements, including thecontributions of beneficiarymunicipalities, totaled EUR1,129,100.

area - Old Mina area - Tripoli 218,573 Lebanese

government, ESFD, Municipal council

23/12/2008 31/03/2010

Public Garden - Mhammara – Akkar


ESFD, Municipal

council

30/12/2008 31/12/2011

Project Contract

Value (US$)

Funding Source

Implementation Start Date

date of completion

Digging an artesian well for the villages of Al-Boustan, Al-

-Thahira – Sour

196,000 EU

Municipal council

01/11/2009 01/11/2010

– Villages of Al-Boustan, Al-Za -Thahira – Sour

98,000 EU

Municipal council

01/11/2009 01/11/2010

Digging an artesian well - – Bent Jbeil 280,000

EU Municipal

council 01/11/2009 01/11/2010

basin - Al-Jebbin - Sour 70,000

EU Municipal

council 01/01/2010 01/01/2011

Potable water treatment plant – – 56,000

EU Municipal

council 01/01/2010 01/01/2011

reservoir pipeline network – Villages of

– 165,480

EU Municipal

council 11/01/2009 05/01/2011

Digging an artesian well – Kfarhamam – 295,400

EU Municipal

council 01/01/2010 05/01/2011

network – Al- - 147,280 EU

Municipal council

01/01/2010 06/01/2011


Local Development SupportProject in North LebanonIn 2011, the ESFD startedoperating the part related to localdevelopment, in the framework ofthe Local Development SupportProject in North Lebanon, towhich EUR 2.5 million wereallocated. The ESFD willsupervise the set up of localdevelopment plans, the selectionof projects, their funding, andtheir implementation in theagglomerations determined by theEU. Memorandums of understandingwere signed with each of the 10municipalities selected by the EU,as a start for the planning phasewhich resulted in 10 localdevelopment plans. Based onthese plans, a package of projectswill be submitted for approval bythe EU and the CDR in order to beimplemented.

Community DevelopmentProjectOn the 29th of July 2002, theLebanese parliament endorsed theCommunity Development Project(CDP) pursuant to the law 433, aproject partly funded by the World

Bank (WB) through a US$ 20million loan. The LebaneseGovernment contributed to itsfunding with US$ 5 million. Theloan expired in June 2008.This project sought to confirm theLebanese governmentcommitment to conducting abalanced development process inall the Lebanese regions to serveall social categories. It alsostresses the great importance thegovernment attaches to thedifficult living conditions theneediest communities aresuffering from. The CDP was implemented underthe management of the CDRthrough two main programs:• A national sectoral program

based on specific communityprograms as part of severalprimary national sectoralprojects aiming at meeting theneeds of certain categories suchas women, youth, children anddisabled.

• A regional developmentprogram based on the localcommunities’ needs andtargeting well-definedcommunities in villagessuffering from difficult social

conditions and located in thefollowing geographic regions(rural poverty regions) : 1-District of Akkar 2- Districts ofMinyeh and Zgharta 3- Tripolicity 4- Districts of Becharre,Jbeil and Batroun 5- GreaterBeirut 6- Districts of Baalbackand Hermel 7- Districts ofRashayya and Hasbaya 8-Districts of Nabatieh, Sour, BentJbeil and Marjeyoun 9- Districtsof Aley and Shouf 10- Districtsof Saïda and Jezzine.

The project relied ondemographical, social andeconomic data pursuant to rapidsocial assessment in order todetermine the neediest areas andtheir required priorities. Thanks toprior rehabilitation, the projectresorted to services provided by anumber of NGOs or internationalorganizations experienced indevelopmental work, in additionto a documented expertise inproject implementation. Thenumber of projects implementedthrough the CommunityDevelopment Project was 324projects distributed among thefollowing sectors:

canals

network – Rasha -Fakhar –

156,100 EU

Municipal council

11/01/2010 05/01/2011

basin –

– Bent Jbeil 116,480

EU Municipal

council 01/01/2010 01/01/2011


Sector Percentage

Agriculture 25 19

14 - 12

10 10

10

As for the categories thatbenefited from these projects, theyare distributed as follows: farmers(35%), residents (29%), youth(20%), special social cases (9%)and women (7%). Thesecategories (except for theresidents) are marginalized andmust be targeted in any actionaiming at improving their livingconditions and extracting themfrom poverty according to therecommendations of manynational studies.

Innovative Partnership toPromote InterregionalCommunication throughLocal Development (ARTGOLD Lebanon) ART GOLD project was launchedon the 22nd of September 2006.Representatives of the Italiangovernment and UNDPparticipated in the ceremonywhich was held at the CDRheadquarters. The Lebanesegovernment was also representedin the ceremony since the CDR isthe national executing partner.This project is part of theinternational “ART Initiative” set

by a group of UN organizations,including UNDP, in order topromote strategic and practicalcontact between donors,Development and DecentralizedCooperation institutions andprograms supporting localdevelopment policies so as toachieve the MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs) andto strengthen local bodies’potentials in approaches aiming atreducing poverty. Consequently,the strategic planningmethodology adopted by theproject to achieve a balanced andsustained development on threeaxes that are: the participatoryapproach through work groups,local economic development anddecentralized cooperation. Theproject cover the mostdisadvantaged regions ofLebanon, where poverty ratios arehigh and economic and socialproblems are acute. These regionsare:• North Lebanon: Three districts

of Akkar, Minyeh-Denniyeh andTripoli - Bab El-Tebbaneh.

• South Lebanon: Five districts:Marjeyoun, Bent Jbeil,

Nabatieh, Sour and Hasbaya.• Bekaa: The districts of Rashayya

and Western Bekaa in thebeginning followed by thedistricts of Baalback and Hermel

• Beirut Southern suburb.It should be noted that the nationalcommittee of the project, formedby the decision of the Presidencyof the Council of Ministersn°115/2007 of 30/10/2007 andheaded by the president of theCDR held its annual meeting inJune 2010 to discuss the progressreport and present therecommendations concerning thestrategic orientation for the projectfor the year 2011. As it is wellknown, the committee consists ofthe Director General of theMinistry of Economy and Trade,the Director General of the localadministrations and council at theMinistry of Interior andMunicipalities, the DirectorGeneral of the Ministry of SocialAffairs in addition to the Directorof the UNDP and representativesfrom the Italian, Belgian andSpanish embassies in Lebanon.The project duration was fixed at36 months with an extension of


Distribution of ART GOLD project budget among regions at the end of 2011

one year after the provision of newresources, thus by the end of 2011,the total budget allocated for theproject was around US$ 14.4

million, jointly funded by thegovernments of Italy, Belgium,Spain, and the Principality ofMonaco, in addition to

contributions from NGO’s andEuropean decentralizedcooperation institutions.

Spain (Govern

ment funding)

Spain (funding of th

e Lebanon Recovery Fund)Ita

ly

Belgium

Monaco

UNDP (Support

Fund – Geneva)

Friends o

f Lebanon Asso

ciation in

Monaco

Decentraliz

ed Cooperation

ART GOLD project budget for 2011

ART GOLD project cumulative budget at the end of 2011

Distribution of ART GOLD project budget among regions at the end of 2011

$7.000.000

$6.000.000

$5.000.000

$4.000.000

$3.000.000

$2.000.000

$1.000.000

$0


Major achievements of ARTGOLD Lebanon from its launchuntil the end of 2010: Ever since it was launched, ARTGOLD project has contributed tonumerous achievements acrossdifferent sectors, in cooperationwith local bodies and authorities.Here follows a summary of theprojects, which covered thefollowing sectors: Governance sector: Preparing the final document ofthe "Capacity Development forgood local governance" project, incooperation with the Ministry ofInterior and Municipalities, inorder for it to be implemented in2011. This project aims at: • Promoting a culture of good

governance in localadministrations and focusing onthe importance of the values oftransparency, credibility andprotection of public funds.

• Providing members of municipalcouncils with the basics as wellas the major administrative andfinancial procedures to conductmunicipal work.

• Encouraging members toperform their role as localleaders, respect the cultural andsocial dimensions in theircommunities, and adhering tothe principles of citizens’participation in the variousstages of development work.

This projects is considered aunique opportunity for theparticipants to exchangeexperiences and promote positiverelations between federations andmunicipalities. Environment sector:• Solid waste treatment project in

South Lebanon, which raisedawareness among the inhabitants

of the Federation ofmunicipalities of Jabal Amel,and enabled the municipalities toadopt sustainable wastemanagement practices.

• Water management project inSouth Lebanon, under whichfour water maintenance centerswere built and furnished withneeded equipment andmachinery for repairing waternetworks in South Lebanondistricts (Nabatiyeh, Bent Jbeil,Sour and Marjeyoun). Moreover,necessary training was providedto maintenance workers, thusensuring continuous watersupply to the villages.

Local Economic Developmentsector (including agriculture): • A project to train more than 3000

beekeepers from the North, theSouth and the Bekaa region, inbee disease control andbeekeeping management, andexchange best practices withrelevant parties in Italy, based onthe value chain approach toproduce honey, resulting inimproved honey quality andbetter marketing opportunities.

• Construction of irrigation canalsin Deir El Ahmar and Nahleh,and increase in the capacity ofwater harvesting basins in Chaat,Kfar Meshki and Ghazza, whichcontributed to an increase inirrigated areas and providedadditional incomes to hundredsof farmers in the Bekaa.

Social sector (youth)• Establishment of youth cultural

centers in the South and theNorth of Lebanon, and theirfurnishing with modernequipment, in addition toproviding the youth with thenecessary training in

organizational andadministrative matters, as well asinformation technology.Furthermore, a Social MunicipalOffice was established in thescope of the municipalities ofFurn Ech Chebak, Mreyjeh,Chiyah and Haret Hreik in theSouthern Suburb of Beirut, forthe purpose of promoting youthparticipation in the localdevelopment process.

Health sector:• Providing the necessary medical

equipment and organizingtraining sessions for the medicalstaff of 18 health centers andclinics, in order to improve thelevel of medical servicesprovided and facilitate theiraccess to more than 150,000people in the areas covered bythe project in North Lebanon, theBekaa and the Southern Suburbof Beirut. Moreover, trainingsessions were organized for theworking medical staff of thesecenters on the use of patientinformation systems and on themost recent medical protocolsand practices. These initiativeswere implemented incoordination with the Ministryof Public health and in closepartnership with the concernedmunicipalities.

ART GOLD main achievementsduring 2011In 2011, ART GOLDimplemented 36 projects in all theregions it works in. These projectscovered the following sectors: Governance sector:1. The "Capacity Development forgood local governance" project: in2011, 41 training workshops wereorganized, benefitting around 450


members of the newly electedmunicipal councils, in addition to954 mayors and municipal councilmembers elected more than once,all from municipal councils in theNorth, the South, Mount Lebanon,Bekaa and the Southern Suburb ofBeirut. 2. The “Information andCommunication Technology”project: resulting from jointcooperation between the Lebanesecity of Tripoli and the Spanish cityof Malaga. This projectcontributed to the modernizationand increased efficiency ofmunicipal work in Tripoli with thedevelopment of geographicinformation systems in generaland their application to a

residential and commercial districtin the city. The city of Malagaprovided the technical assistancefor the development of thesesystems, under the supervision ofthe Information Society Initiativefor the Mediterranean(ISI@MED) designed by theUNDP. 3. Strategic planning for thedevelopment of the Denniyehregion in North Lebanon: Incoordination with the CDR, theART GOLD project launched thisinitiative during a ceremony heldin June 2011. It was attended byrepresentatives of the Italian andBelgian embassies, funders of theinitiative, in addition to theResident Representative of

UNDP, the Head of the Divisionof Planning and Programming ofthe CDR and the mayors of theconcerned municipalities, as wellas a huge crowd and several localfigures. The strategic planningprocess is an important means toempower local authorities andwork groups, in order to enhancetheir contribution to shaping thedevelopment plan andimplementing its projects, on thebasis of maximum utilization ofavailable resources and humanpotential, for the purpose ofraising the standard of living andimproving the quality of life in theregion.

Launching ceremony of the strategic planning for the development of Denniyeh on June 9, 2011


ART GOLD Projects implemented in 2011 in the agricultural sector

From the right: the First Secretaryat the Italian Embassy , theDeputy Resident Representativeof the United NationsDevelopment Program inLebanon, and the Head of theDivision of Planning andProgramming of the CDR.

4. Promoting decentralizedcooperation between Lebanesemunicipalities and Europeanauthorities, through theorganization of a study tour for amission of 23 participants (fromthe municipalities of Chiyah, FurnEch Chebak, Mreyjeh, Hadath,Haret Hreik, Ghobeiri and Burj AlBarajneh) to the Italian region ofTuscany, from the 6th to the 13thof March 2011. The purpose of thevisit is to enable the exchange ofexperiences regarding planningfor medium and long-termprojects, and meeting the needs ofcitizens by adopting acomprehensive approach. Agricultural sector: Sevenprojects were implemented inseveral regions of the North, theSouth and the Bekaa. Theseprojects aimed at generatingincome for small farmers and

improving the quality ofagricultural production. Some ofthese projects are: 1. A project to provideagricultural extension anddistribute seeds and fruit seedlingsto about 70 fruit farmers in theregion of Denniyeh and farmersrelying on rain-fed agriculture inthe region of Akkar. 2. Equipment of a laboratoryto perform tests on soil andirrigation water samples within theLebanese Agricultural ResearchInstitute in Abdeh (Akkar). Thelaboratory was inaugurated in July2011, and more than 30,000farmers in the regions of Minyeh-Denniyeh and Akkar are expectedto benefit from its services. 3. A drip irrigation project inKfar Meshki (Bekaa) thatcontributed to an increase inirrigated lands and in agriculturalproduction, resulting in additionalincomes to about 300 farmers. 4. Beekeeping and honeyproduction sector support project,in cooperation with the Ministryof Agriculture, beekeepers inLebanon and the Association ofUmbrian Beekeepers (APAU) inItaly. In 2011, an expert from

APAU provided technical trainingfor Lebanese beekeepers from theSouth, the North and the Bekaa. Ahoney laboratory was establishedwithin the Lebanese AgriculturalResearch Institute in Sour for thepurpose of improving the qualityof the honey produced bybeekeepers in South Lebanon. And in continuation to its supportfor the beekeeping sector, ARTGOLD project organized, incooperation with the Ministry ofAgriculture and Shouf CedarNature Reserve, the day-longJabalna Festival in the town ofMaasser El-Shouf. Over 100beekeepers from all Lebaneseregions were present at theFestival, which took place inSeptember 2011, and where theydisplayed and sold their products. 5. Equipment of a mobileunit, affiliated to the cattlebreeding and fodder cultivationcooperative in Akkar, to provideveterinary extension services toaround 500 cattle breeders inAkkar in order to improve theirproduction.

Name of the project Place Executing party

1

–

-

2

–

3 –


Local economic developmentsectorART GOLD implemented severalprojects that targeted 40 womenfood cooperatives in the Bekaaand the South, and helped increasethe incomes of more than 400ladies. Decentralized cooperation,especially by the Italian provinceof Puglia, played a major role indeveloping the marketingcapabilities of a number of womencooperatives in the Bekaa, and ofa group of women who ownbusinesses in the Southern Suburbof Beirut. Moreover, ART GOLD supportedaround 1100 fishermen in northLebanon by providing Al Abdehport with the necessaryequipment, in addition toproviding training to thefishermen cooperative members inadministrative and financialmatters. An Italian expert assessedfishing techniques used byfishermen in Al Ouzai port in theSouthern Suburb of Beirut; anaction plan to improve thesituation of these fishermen willbe prepared accordingly. ART GOLD also organized, in

partnership with the InternationalAssociation for the protection ofTyre (Sour), training workshops todevelop glassblowing skills.About 20 young men and womenbenefitted from these workshopsand gained a source of additionalincome. Furthermore, ART GOLDcontributed to the establishment ofthe Baalback tourism network andcooperated with it to launch astudy aiming at elaborating a planfor tourism development in theBekaa, which is supposed to endearly in 2012. ART GOLD alsoequipped the museum of theYammouneh Nature Reserve,displaying stuffed birds, wildanimals and plants. In the Scope of the LocalEconomic Development sector, itis worth noting that in 2011, fourLocal Economic DevelopmentAgencies (LEDA’s) wereestablished in all the regionscovered by the ART GOLD.Efforts are ongoing to supportthese agencies and enable them toprovide a series of technicalsupport services for SMEs andcooperatives, and facilitate theiraccess to loans from the Credit

Guarantee Fund mentioned earlierin the section about the Economicand Social Development Fund.

4

–

5 -

- K

6

7


ART GOLD Projects implemented in 2011 in the Local Economic Development sector:


1 Establishing the Baalback grouping to support tourism and the strategic planning project for tourism development in Baalback and Deir Al Ahmar

Baalback and Deir Al Ahmar – Bekaa

The grouping includes 15 12 NGOs

from the public and private sectors in the District of

strategic plan in close

community, the

afore-

2 Establishing a museum for the Yammouneh Nature Reserve

Yammouneh – Bekaa of Yammouneh

3 Bekaa - United

Lebanon – 18

4 Support for Tourism sector in the Bekaa Bekaa - Bekaa

5 Providing support for Women’s

South Lebanon LARI

6 South Lebanon

7

– South Lebanon Rashayya Al – South

Lebanon

8 Al Ouzai port Ouzai – Municipality of Burj Al Barajneh

9 Support for the development of

suburb of Beirut

Southern suburb of Beirut

Puglia region – Italy

suburb of Beirut


ART GOLD Projects implemented in 2011 in the social sector:

• Social/youth sector1. The social assessment ofhouseholds living conditions in FernEch Chebbak/the southern suburb ofBeirut: the municipality startedimplementing the assessmentthrough the municipal social office,in cooperation with ART GOLD.The social assessment will cover8500 households. In this regard,ART GOLD brought in an Italianexpert from the University ofFlorence to train three socialworkers, working for the bureau, inorder for them to oversee theimplementation of the assessment. 2. The formation of a choircomposed of 100 students, both

males and females, between the agesof 8 and 13, for the purpose ofpromoting dialogue and culturalexchange between them. Themunicipal social office in the townof Mreyjeh is carrying out thisinitiative in cooperation with themunicipalities of Fern Ech Chebbak,Chiyah and Burj Al Barajneh, andunder the supervision of the ARTGOLD work group in the region.

The choir during rehearsal inMreyjeh. 3. Creating a public park for childrenin Nabi Sheet (Bekaa), to provide asafe place for them to play, andcompleting the preparations for the

implementation of a project whichaims at promoting and developingthe capacities of young people innorth Lebanon, in partnership withthe Italian region of Puglia.Moreover, an expert was brought infrom Marseille to carry out adetailed study for a project aiming tocreate public spaces (parks and otherspaces) in the city of Tripoli, to befunded by the Municipality ofMarseille. And in the South, ARTGOLD contributed to therehabilitation and equipment ofyouth centers in Tebnine, Debel andAyn Jarfa.


1 A project to support cultural and social Halba

Halba, North Lebanon Municipality of Halba

1 Establishing a youth cultural center in Bab At Tebbaneh, Tripoli

Bab At Tebbaneh - North Lebanon

2 of young people in north Lebanon

North Lebanon North Lebanon

3 town of Nabi Sheet

Nabi Sheet -

4

Tebnine, Debel and Ayn Jarfa – South Lebanon

Tebnine youth center, Municipality of Tebnine

Debel youth center Municipality of Debel

Ayn Jarfa youth center

5 of oral and dental diseases in public schools in the Southern Suburb of Beirut

Southern Suburb of Beirut

Italian public health agency Lazio Sanita, teachers in public elementary schools, social

Mreyjeh and Fern Ech

6 Forming a choir in the Southern Suburb of Beirut

Southern Suburb of Beirut

"Loubnan Assalam" (Peaceful Lebanon) Arabic music band,

Burj Al Barajneh


Education sector1. “Raising the Level ofEducational Services andExtracurricular Activities inPublic Schools” project:implemented in four publicschools in Bent Jbeil, Blat,Aytaroun and Majdal Selm, inSouth Lebanon. This projectaims at improving the level ofeducational services providedin the mentioned schoolsaffected by the July 2006 war.It benefits more than 400students by creating dramaclasses and providing sportequipment and musicalinstruments. Moreover, theteachers were trained toimprove their skills in modernteaching methods. Thisinitiative was funded by theFriends of Lebanon Associationin Monaco. 2. A study on school dropoutsin Mreyjeh/southern suburb ofBeirut: in the framework of the

initiative aiming at reducingschool dropouts amongstudents aged 8 to 14 years,ART GOLD trained workersfrom the municipal social officeof the Municipality of Mreyjehto collect the necessary data,

under the supervision of aspecialist, and in cooperationwith the concerned parties inthe 6 public schools targeted.The work group finishedpreparing the form towards theend of 2011; in 2012, thesurvey will be implemented andthe results issued.Launching ceremony of theproject of rehabilitation andequipment of a theatre in themixed public elementary schoolin Bent Jbeil, in the presence ofthe head of the Friends ofLebanon Association inMonaco, a representative of theCDR, the school’s principal,and ART GOLD Lebanon’stechnical advisor.

• Health sector1. In North Lebanon, ARTGOLD project contributed tothe equipment of the primaryhealth care center in Abboudiehand the training of 30 youngwomen form the districts ofBab at Tebbaneh and JabalMohsen in Tripoli, to becomehealth workers, and organizemeetings with mothers and girlsin order to increase theirawareness about a range ofhealth topics. ART GOLD also cooperatedwith the Lebanese Associationfor Early ChildhoodDevelopment, in coordinationwith the Municipality ofTripoli, to carry out a study onthe living and health conditionsin the districts of Bab atTebbaneh and Jabal Mohsen.The final report of this studywas released in July 2011. Thestudy’s results will enable theconcerned authorities to

develop a practical conceptionof the development interventionfor the improvement of livingconditions in this region. ARTGOLD also provided thenecessary equipment for adental cabinet and a day careservice in the Center fordevelopment services affiliatedto the Ministry of Social Affairs(MOSA) in Bab at Tebbaneh.

2. In 2011, ART GOLD, inpartnership with the Italianregion of Tuscany, continued toprovide support (medicalequipment, patient informationsystems, and training) to theprimary health care centersmanaged by the municipalitiesof Haret Hreik, Ghobeiri andChiyah in the southern suburbof Beirut. Two trainingworkshops were organized byan Italian expert from Tuscany,and attended by 20 traineesfrom the municipalities and thepublic and private healthinstitutions operating in theregion. The project also benefittedfrom the experience of LazioSanita, the public health agencyof the region of Lazio in Italy,in the preparation of an oralhealth guide to be used byteachers in the publicelementary schools in thesouthern suburb of Beirut. Allthe concerned parties, includingpublic schools principals,teachers, doctors and socialworkers, contributed to thepreparation of this guide inArabic and in English.


ART GOLD Projects implemented in 2011 in the health sector


1 Improving primary health care services in North Lebanon: -Equipping and training the database management system in three primary health care centers. -(about 90

Abboudieh

-

2 Establishing and equipping a dental

–

3 Establishing and equipping a day care

–

4 diseases in public schools in the

Beirut

Italian public health agency

5 Enhancing the primary health care

hobeiri


• Environment sectorIn 2011, ART GOLD equipped awater maintenance center inHasbaya with the necessaryequipment for repairing waternetworks, in addition to thecenters it had established in Sour,Marjeyoun, Nabatieh and BentJbeil in 2009 and 2010. Thesecenters will help ensurecontinuous water supply to around117 villages. And in order to raisethe awareness of the Lebaneseabout the importance ofpreserving water resources, ARTGOLD partnered with theMinistry of Energy and Water tolaunch, in July 2011, the nationalcampaign to rationalize waterconsumption under the slogan“Save water, save people”, fundedby the Spanish Agency forInternational DevelopmentCooperation (AECID). Furthermore, in the framework ofthe Solid Waste Treatment Projectin South Lebanon, launched byART GOLD in 2009, incooperation with the Federation ofmunicipalities of Jabal Amel,containers for household wastecollection were distributed toaround 300 households in thetown of Rob Tlateen in order toencourage people to separateorganic waste from recyclables,and 140 waste containers wereprovided to the municipality forwaste collection.• Other activitiesDecentralized cooperationIn 2011, ART GOLD – Lebanonhosted 12 missions in theframework of the decentralizedcooperation with partners fromItaly, Spain and France, for thepurpose of supporting the health,

governance, economicdevelopment and social sectors.The project also organized 6missions comprisingrepresentatives of the localcommunities in the regions itcovers, as well as the targetedgroups. The most importantmission was the 8-day study tourto the region of Tuscany for thepromotion of cooperation and theexchange of experiences betweenthe local Lebanese and Tuscanauthorities. ART GOLD main trends for 2012 In 2012, ART GOLD willcontinue its efforts to promote thecoordination with the concernedministries and administrations toensure the sustainability andcontinuity of the initiatives to beimplemented.ART GOLD will also seek,through its partners indecentralized cooperation, toestablish long term partnershipsamong Lebanese, European andinternational communities.Concerning the four localeconomic development agencies(LEDA), ART GOLD willcontinue in 2012 to provide thenecessary technical and financialsupport to activate their work andthus ensure their sustainability andcontinuity, after having acquiredofficial status as an NGO. This isto emphasize the importance ofthis developmental mechanismand its vital role in enabling thelow income households andimproving their standard of living.Moreover, ART GOLD willcontinue to provide its support forthe 35 regional and sectoral workgroups, and work on the conceptsof group work among them.

ART GOLD’s priorities in the2012-20132 period:- Supporting economic

development in the North, theSouth, the Beqaa and theSouthern Suburb of Beirutthrough the implementation ofprojects to support theagricultural sector, thecooperatives, SMEs and tourismprojects.

- Supporting local governance andincreasing the capacity ofmunicipalities and federations ofmunicipalities to plan andimplement developmentprojects.

- Implementing projects thatcontribute to the preservation ofthe environment and the naturalresources, such as drinking watermanagement and irrigationprojects, solid wastemanagement and reforestation.

- Supporting women and youth toenhance their participation in thelocal development process.

Socio-Economic DevelopmentProgram in Akkar – Phase IIThe CDR has continued itscooperation with the UNDP toimplement Phase II of the Socio-Economic Development Programin Akkar, in order to support thedevelopment in the districtespecially in Wadi Khaled. Theactivities in this phase will focuson the following:- Developing the capacities of the

municipal councils to be electedin May 2010 in order to enhancetheir participation in the localdevelopment process.

- Continuing the work with themunicipalities which haveachieved their own local


development plans in Phase I tohelp them make partnershipswith donors and carry ondevelopmental projects as wellas implement some projects fromthe budget of the program.

- Preparing a local developmentplan in Wadi Khaled and helpingin making partnerships withdonors as well as implementingsome economic developmentprojects from the programbudget.

First: Accompanying the newlyelected municipal councils The program has continued toprovide support to the municipalcouncils elected in 2010. Thecouncils were accompanied intheir management of the localdevelopment process, especiallyin the region of Jurd El-Qayteh, ElJoumeh, Sahel Akkar and AdDreib al Awsat. The number ofbeneficiary municipalities was 22.The provided support included:the development of new projects,the participation of somemunicipal council members intraining sessions about municipalwork, and the facilitation of theirrelationship with funders for theimplementation of developmentprojects within the scope of eachmunicipality.

Second: Follow on the workwith the municipalities thatachieved the local development

plans

Given that the developmentprocess is a continuous process,the program continued, in 2011, towork with the new municipalcouncils in order to start theimplementation of the local

development plans that were set inPhase I. it is worth noting that 24towns in the region of Akkaralready have their developmentplans. Moreover, the program facilitatedthe communication between themunicipal councils and theLebanese and internationalauthorities implementingdevelopment programs andprojects in the district of Akkar, inorder to benefit from thedevelopment plans approved bythe municipalities. In this context,the following has been achieved: -Continued cooperation with the“conflict resolution and peacebuilding in Akkar” projectimplemented by United Nationsagencies in the regions of Dreiband Sahel Akkar. In this regard,the project’s work group wasprovided with the developmentplans of 6 towns, in addition tothe “village questionnaire” ofaround 12 villages. Fieldintervention priorities weredetermined based on the datacontained in these documents.

- Field follow-up of the initiativelaunched by the “Support to TheImplementation of TheMillennium DevelopmentGoals” project, implemented bythe UNDP in coordination withthe CDR, in order to “nationalizethe MDGs in North Lebanon” onthe local level. For this purpose,the area selected to implementthe initiative was Jurd El-Qaytehin Akkar, which includes 12towns. The economic and socialconditions in these towns will bestudied, an assessment of thedegree of achievement of theMDGs will be carried out, and

priorities pursued by thecommunity will be set. Theprogram also contributed withcommunity figures to theorganization of three workshops,and to the formation of workgroups for each of the eightMDGs, in order to collect therequired statistical data for thepreparation of the final report.Moreover, 10 projects wereselected and theirimplementation started in thetargeted region.

- Coordination with theADELNORD project, financedby the European Union andimplemented by the CDR, in theregion of Akkar, Denniyeh andthe mountainous areas ofHermel, for the purpose ofcoordinating work inoverlapping areas, especially inAkkar and Denniyeh, byproviding the statistical datacollected by the Socio-EconomicDevelopment Program in Akkaron the 20 towns andcommunities in Wadi Khaled.

Third: Launching the work inWadi Khaled to set a localdevelopment plan andcontribute to the improvementof living conditions byimplementing a number ofdevelopment projects In 2011, the program’s workgroup implemented a series ofsteps, which included: Holding a series of meetings withthe makhatirs and the committeeof local development in order tocomplete data collection,complete the “town questionnaire”for all the towns in Wadi Khaled -that is 20 communities and towns -

80 CDR October 2012Social Infrastructure

and prepare the area profile. Therefollowed the organization of 7sectoral workshops (education,agriculture, health, youth, women,and infrastructure) aimed atdetermining the current situationin each sector, its problems andtheir causes. They were attendedby more than 135 people of bothsexes. The program also accompaniedthe components of the localcommunity in setting thedevelopment projects that weresuggested during sector meetings,and looking for the best conditionsto implement them and ensuretheir success and sustainability.The following projects were setaccordingly: 1. Implementing a number of

development projects inAkkar:

a. Equipment of the youth culturalcenter in Al Amayra: the culturalcenter aims at improving thequality of education and launchingyouth cultural activities, inaddition to organizing seminarsand lectures targeting women. Aroom was equipped for remedialeducation and language teaching,and another for seminars andlectures. 12 computers wereprovided, in addition to a projectorand a screen, as well as a copymachine and other equipment. Thecenter will be run by the“Attafawwuq wa Ssa’adaAssociation in Wadi khaled” (theExcellence and HappinessAssociation). For this purpose, acommittee of 7 members, amongwhich 4 women, from theassociation and the committee oflocal development. More than 500people in all the region of Wadi

Khaled are expected to benefitfrom the services of this center. b. Equipment of the Center fordevelopment services affiliated tothe Ministry of Social Affairs inWadi Khaled: necessary medicalequipment was provided in orderto improve the quality of healthservices offered by the center andreduce the cost the patient has toincur by going to Halba or toTripoli. The number ofbeneficiaries is expected toincrease by 70% on a yearly basis. c. Provision of audio-visualequipment for the CooperativeAssociation for Culture andTheatre in Bazbina: the programprovided technical equipment,such as lighting and soundequipment, to develop theassociation’s potential and enableit to increase the number oftheatrical performances, relyingon the youth, in the towns ofAkkar, targeting all segments ofsociety, and dealing with nationaland social issues.

2. Developing new projects for2012

a. Study of the economicconditions in Wadi Khaled:The economic condition in Wadi

Khaled was affected by thecurrent events in Syria. Householdincome, derived mainly fromcross-border trade, declined, whilethe cost of living increasedbecause the households have tobuy their necessities from theLebanese market, in which theprices are higher compared to theSyrian market. This situationimposes yet another challenge tothe development authorities whichhave to find economic alternatives

allowing to diversify the sourcesof income and create new jobs inthe region. For this purpose, a consulting firmwill be commissioned to assessthe economic situation andpropose short and medium-rangework plans. b. Equipment of kindergartens inpublic schoolsIn order to ensure a soundeducational environment, fourkindergartens in Wadi Khaled willbe equipped with the requirededucational and pedagogicalmeans, in addition to kindergartenfurniture. The number of childrenbenefitting from this project is180. c. Training women health workersin the region of Wadi KhaledThis project includes the trainingof 30 women from the differentvillages in Wadi Khaled onhealthy concepts and practices,particularly concerning maternaland child health, in order for themto launch awareness campaigns toeducate women heads ofhouseholds, in view of the lack ofhealth awareness servicesprovided by social institutionsoperating in the region. d. Professional capacitydevelopment for the youth inWadi KhaledThis project aims at developingthe professional capacity ofaround 50 young men and women,in cooperation with an NGOspecialized in vocational trainingand recognized by the NationalEmployment Office. It is hopedthat this will help to increase theiropportunities of finding jobs andprevent them from migrating tothe city.

81CDR October 2012 Social Infrastructure

Fifth: Youth activities in Akkar1- The summer campThe program organized a summercamp from 12 to 16 July 2011, inthe town of Maasser El-Shouf,with the participation of membersof youth groups from severaltowns in Akkar. It included atraining on the internalmanagement of associations andan awareness session on theconcept of gender. This campaimed at strengthening theleadership skills of around 45young boys and girls who are themost enthusiastic and committed.Moreover, experts in the field ofyouth activation and themanagement of NGOs were hiredfor the camp.

2- Ramadan mini footballtournamentDuring the month of Ramadan2011, the program organized amini football tournament in whichparticipated teams from 8 town inAkkar: Wadi Khaled, Tal Abbas,Aïn Yaacoub, Hrar, Bazbina, TalBireh, Khreibet El Jindi, and AlBurj. Games were played on thefootball fields of Tal Abbas andTal Bire. The aim of thetournament was to bring the youthtogether in a joint activity.

3- Sixth youth meeting in AkkarThe youth meeting in Akkar hasbecome an annual traditiongathering youth of different agegroups and from the differentregions of Akkar, to interact anddiscuss questions and issues ofinterest to them. The 2011 meeting was attended bymore than 100 young boys andgirls. The participants discussedenvironmental issues, as well asthe rights of children and youngpeople, and the current state ofeducation in Akkar. The meetingincluded a photo exhibition by theparticipants on the discussedtopics, screenings of thedocumentaries produced by them,expressive dances and a theatricalperformance featuring the youngparticipants and directed by them.

4- Strategic planning workshopfor the youth of Wadi KhaledYoung people form a significantportion of the total population ofWadi Khaled, with their ownshare of hardships and their needs.As part of the strategic planningfor the youth, a youth workshopwas organized and attended by 18young men and women, duringwhich they talked about thecharacteristics of the youth in thisregion and their main problems,

and agreed on the most importantissued to be addressed throughdevelopment interventions. The participants emphasized theneed to intervene in the followingfields: - Improving the quality of

education.- Activating cultural activities.- Teaching the youth IT skills and

foreign languages. - Improving the skills of the youth

in traditional crafts. - Promoting the role of young

women and encouraging theirparticipation in social anddevelopmental activities.

5- Creation of a regional youthwork group and a youthassociation in the town of AïnYaacoub:Activating trans–town youth workwas one of goals of the program.Its achievement was helped by thecreation of a work group in theregion of Akkar, comprising 10members considered as localleaders. The latter have workedtogether to prepare the youthactivities (the camp, the youthmeeting and the sporttournaments) and participate intheir implementation. In the framework of theinstitutionalization of the youth

Agricultural road in Kherbet Shar Meeting of the Wadi Khaled makhatirs inAl Amayra

Training session for the local developmentcommittee members Wadi Khaled, Centerfor development services, Al Amayra


groups that had theirdevelopmental experience duringthe past years, and in order toensure their sustainability andstrengthen their partnership withthe municipalities, the youthgroup in Aïn Yaacoub started theprocedures of establishing a youthassociation after the municipalcouncil issued a decision toprovide headquarters for it. Theassociation has already adopted itsrules of procedure and is nowready to undertake field work.

Socio-Economic DevelopmentProgram in South Lebanon –Phase II

1. Overview of the program’swork between the year 2000 andJuly 12th 2006 After the Israeli withdrawal fromsouthern Lebanon in May 2000,and based on previous studies, theLebanese government representedby the CDR, in cooperation withthe UNDP, implemented a jointprogram for the development ofthe liberated villages in SouthLebanon, in the Districts ofMarjeyoun, Hasbaya, Bent Jbeiland part of the Sour district. Theprogram aims at supporting theinhabitants who did not leave theirlands during more than twentyyears of occupation, by

implementing small projects thatcan improve the economic cyclein the region and constitute anincentive for residents to stay andfor emigrants to return to theliberated South. The program’s work focused ondeveloping the capacity of localand community institutions in theregion, to improve theirperformance in order for them tocontinue and play their initial role.Its achievements between the year2000 and July 2006 are thefollowing:

sectors Achievements

Municipal sector - Workshops covering 60 newly elected and new

-

- 34

sector - Training sessions

- 27

-

- Shameh and its 12

-

it was famous; manufacturing machin


Youth sector - 32 950 young 15 and 25 years of age

- Equipment of 20 computer training centers allowing 6

- non-

-

and language

- Equipment of 3

Economic development sector

- Various training sessions

-

- Loans to 28

- Support to 12

detainees' sector - Medical treatment to 3500

- Psychological support to 2200

- Medical aid to 617

- Physiotherapy to 105

- Social awareness to 1000

- 1500

84 CDR October 2012

2. Overview of the program’swork in South Lebanon after theaggression of July 12, 2006 anduntil the year 2009The Socio-Economic DevelopmentProgram in South Lebanoncontinued during and after theIsraeli aggression to offer supportto the southern villages and towns.It is worth noting that the strongnetwork of relationships betweenthe program and the different localbodies, from municipalities toyouth cooperatives and localfigures, in addition to itspartnership with the LebaneseGovernment represented by theCDR, and its special relationshipswith donor countries, have helpedit attract the support of severalparties as follows: • The program’s work group

prepared the strategy of rapidintervention projects during thewar in order to be able to startthe works and the projects assoon as it stops. Moreover, theprogram’s work expanded to thedistricts of Nabatieh, Jezzine,Saïda and Sour.

• Immediately after the cessationof hostilities on August 14, 2006,the program started acomprehensive survey of thedamage caused by the aggressionin the villages and the cities ofSouth Lebanon, in coordinationwith municipalities, localauthorities and representatives ofthe villages and cities.

• The program obtained US$800,000 from the UNDP Bureauof Crisis Prevention andRecovery to start removing

debris and open the roads in 101affected towns.

• The program created aninformation and map unitincluding all the informationabout the active organizationsand associations, the nature oftheir work, and the villages andcities they cover. The collectedinformation was posted on theinternet.

Being a government program inpartnership with the UN, andbased on its speed in theimplementation of recoveryprojects, it was able to attractfinancial contributions fromvarious donors interested inhelping southern regions aspresented in the following table:

Social Infrastructure

- Revolving credits to 250

work with the

-

-

work

-

-


Project Project value Bene�ciaries Main achievements 1 Municipal

support project in partnership with the EU

EUR 1 million 143 southern

villages in the

Marjeyoun, Hasbaya, Bent Jbeil, Sour,

water network

2 Municipal support project in partnership with the Government

US$ 1.5 150 southern

towns in the

Jezzine, Sour, Bent Jbeil, Marjeyoun

ing

3 Municipal US$ 900,000 110 southern

support project in partnership with the Japanese Government

basins

4 A project to support living

he South in partnership with the EU

US$ 1.5 million

31 towns in

Jezzine, Sour, Bent Jbeil, Marjeyoun

projects in the areas 2006


5

Socio-Economic Development in South Lebanon, in partnership with the UN

Centre-South Lebanon (UNMACC-SL)

US$ 1 million 18 agricultural

in 18 towns in the

18 youth groups,

195

local community workers

- sessions on

195

community workers

- 11 projects with local

- Organizing training

agricultural

15 projects with these

- Forming 9

9

-

2007-


Socio-Economic DevelopmentProgram in South Lebanon –Phase II

The program obtained additionalfunding amounting to US$ 2.7million, distributed as follows:US$ 300,000 from the LebaneseGovernment represented by the

CDR, US$ 200,000 from theUNDP in Lebanon and US$ 2.2million from the UNDP Bureau ofCrisis Prevention and Recovery toimplement Phase II of the Socio-Economic Development Plan overa two-year period. This phasecovers the development of thesector of local municipalities,

agricultural cooperatives, women,youth, regions affected by minesand cluster munitions, support forSME in addition to vocationaltraining. The implementationstarted in 2009, and its mainachievements in 2011 can besummarized as follows:

2

1.057million

106

150 15 15

)


Achieved activities until end-2011

1. 1.1

1.2 50

-

- –

- -

- -

- –

- –

- -

1.3 -

Expected results

20112012

2. 2.1 50-

2.2 10

- 10 10

- 10 -

2011

- 7

2011.

2

2

-

1

-

-

-

2

2

-


1

-

-

- 7

2011.

- -

2.3 10

2.4

––

2.5%50

- 201128

-

-

-

-

- 9


-

- –

- –

- -

- - -

- - –

- -

- -–

- –

- Organizing Tour in Sour – 3: youth talent show

- Organizing Tour in Sour – 4

- – Sour

3.2: Bringing together around 3010

3.3order to increase youth

3.4already been issued.

3.5 -

3.6


Joint Projects with UNOrganizations working inLebanonSupport to the Implementation ofthe Millennium DevelopmentGoals-MDGsThe CDR and UNDP signed theproject “Support to TheImplementation of TheMillennium Development Goals”on 24/07/2008. The project aimsat helping the Lebanesegovernment carry out policies andactivities that contribute to theattainment of MDGs by 2015, asagreed by Lebanon and thecountries of the world. Theproject involves as well severalactivities aiming at helping theLebanese government, thecommunities and the civil societyinstitutions to efficientlyparticipate in achieving theMDGs. The project, which was planned tostart in the beginning of 2008,didn’t effectively start until thelast quarter of 2009 for reasonsrelated to the security and politicalinstability in the country in thatperiod. Major achievements in 2009-2010101 – Developing public policiesA Capacity Assessment project

was launched in 2010. It targetedselected administrations andpublic institutions, especiallythose concerned with planning,implementing and following uptoward the implementation of theMDGs. The project included arapid survey of theadministrations and institutionsdirectly or indirectly concernedwith the MDGs. The focus was onthe 1st of the MDGs related toextreme poverty reduction.Indicators related to this goal arestill low and Lebanon is notexpected to decrease the numberof poor living under the povertyline to 4% in 2015.In this context, 5administrations/institutionsdirectly affecting the indicatorsrelated to the 1st MDG wereselected. These are theAdministration of Planning andProgramming at the CDR, theNational Employment Office, theDepartment of Planning andResearch and the Department ofSocial Services at the Ministry ofSocial Affairs, the Generaldirectorate for localadministrations and councils atthe Ministry of Interior andMunicipalities, in addition to the

Directorate of research andcoordination at the Ministry ofAgriculture. The field work wasachieved during 2011; the resultwill be specific recommendationsto be included in the generalstrategy to develop the capacitiesof targeted administrations andinstitutions to enable them tocarry out their mission moreeffectively in achieving the firstgoal of the MDGs.102 Implementing someinterventions to achieve aprogress in the indicators relatedto the MDGsThe project includes theimplementation of someinterventions aimed at helping inreducing poverty in some areaswhere the rate of poverty isparticularly high. Theseinterventions will improve theliving conditions and economicsituations of a number ofhouseholds among the poorest.

Youth gathering Halba Honorary ceremony for volunteers Youth entertainment activities


A summary of the interventions:

Project Village N° of bene�ciaries

Amount of the grant

Date of work completion

Buying and

–

18 US$ 32,400 2010

Buying and

–

25 US$ 28,833 2010

Ouzai 250 US$ 65,000 2010

–

39 US$ 61,755 2010

103 Building statisticalcapacities for concernedadministrations (CentralAdministration of Statistics)The project seeks to support theLebanese government inmonitoring and followingindicators related to the MDGs,through enhancing the statisticalcapacities of the concernedadministrations, especially theCentral Administration ofStatistics (CAS). In this context,the project provided the CAS witha 10 user license for specificstatistical software (SPSS) toenable the CAS to process andanalyze development data.104 Communication andadvocacy (3rd Lebanon reporton the MDGs)In 2010, the project prepared anational interim report on theprogress achieved toward theimplementation of the MDGs(Interim MDGR). A participatoryapproach was adopted inpreparing the 3rd report; it is

based on calling for theparticipation of representativesfrom concerned publicadministrations and institutions,civil society organizations andUnited Nations organizations. Theinterim report showed thatLebanon is on the right track withrespect to certain goals such aseducation and the health ofchildren and women whereas theprogress is slow with respect toextreme poverty reduction,women empowerment andensuring environmentalsustainability. With respect to communicationand advocacy, the project setseveral meetings with schoolchildren and university students toexplain the MDGs and expose theprogress achieved. The projectalso issued some flyers andbrochures to introduce the MDGsto all the categories of society.

The project’s achievements in 2011201 Capacity Assessment

projectCapacity assessment fieldwork forthe five public administrationsand institutions, selected for theirdirect relationship to theindicators related to the 1st MDG,was completed. Final reports onthe Administration of Planningand Programming at the CDR andthe National Employment Officewere also completed, and thepreliminary draft of the report onthe Directorate of research andcoordination at the Ministry ofAgriculture was prepared.202 – Media for DevelopmentprojectThis project was launched inpartnership with the France Presstraining institution, theinternational French channel andthe French Embassy in Lebanon.It aims at promoting the conceptsof peace and development bybuilding the capacities of a groupof media people from variousLebanese media (auditory, visual,and written), in order for them to


conduct investigations andprepare reports on developmentchallenges faced by Lebanon. forthis purpose, three workshopswere organized and attended by30 trainees, under the supervisionof specialists from theparticipating institutions. 203- Building the capacities oflocal communities in terms ofplanning, administration, andfollow up on the MDG indicators:In 2011, the program launched apilot project in cooperation withthe Federation of Municipalities

of Jurd El-Qayteh in Akkar tolocalize MDGs in communities inorder to integrate them into thelocal development plans of thisregion. In this context, the projectorganized workshops with theFederation, in cooperation withthe regional UNDP office andwith the participation of the workgroup of the ART GOLD – Northand the Socio-EconomicDevelopment Program in Akkar.The purpose of these workshopswas to build local capacities in

order to improve the policy designand implementation process onthe local level, and monitorMDGs progress. Theseworkshops were attended bymayors and NGO representatives. The pilot project included acapacity assessment for theFederation of Municipalities ofJurd El-Qayteh, the elaboration ofa local strategy to develop thesecapacities, and theimplementation of MDG-relatedprojects in several villages asfollows:

Project Place Number of

Value of the grant

Expected date of

El- 53

and 424

US$ 19,950

80

and 480

US$ 20,000

Al Qrayet 55

and 330

US$ 20,000

Bzal 95

and 760

US$ 20,000

31/05/2012

31/05/2012

31/05/2012

31/05/2012


3- Main trends in 2012 The project will keep seeking toachieve its goals by carrying outthe following activities:

First – the Capacity Assessmentproject: completion of the surveyon the rest of the selected publicadministrations and institutions,namely the General directorate forlocal administrations and councilsat the Ministry of Interior andMunicipalities, and theDepartment of Planning andResearch and the Department ofSocial Services at the Ministry ofSocial Affairs, in order to issue a

final report of survey findings andrecommendations. Second – the completion of someinterventions aimed at achievingprogress in MDG-relatedindicators. In this regard, the townof Arsal in Northern Bekaa waschosen for the implementation ofa project aimed at creating jobopportunities and income sourcesthat would improve the livingconditions of a number ofhouseholds among the neediest.The project will also providesupport for a group of women whowork in the production of Tannourbread, by equipping and operating

a bakery in the village. Third – building the capacities oflocal communities in terms ofplanning, administration, andfollow up on the MDG indicatorsby completing the implementationof some interventions in the JurdEl-Qayteh region in Akkar,following up on them andassessing their impact. Thisactivity shall be coupled with thedrafting of a report a Report on theLocalization of the MDGs in JurdEl-Qayteh – Akkar which willinclude an analysis of thedevelopment challenges in thisregion and a list of the priorities to

Shan 200

and 1600

US$ 20,000

court

Hrar 950

and 3875

US$ 40,000

ment of

cultural and

16000

US$ 20,000

cultural and

500

and 1400

US$ 20,000

31/05/2012

31/05/2012

12/12/2012

12/12/2012


be achieved in order to improvethe living conditions of all theresidents. Fourth – continued cooperationwith the Central Administration ofStatistics (CAS), especially withregard to the statistical andanalytic aspects related to theMDGs, provided that the MDGmonitoring database (DEVINFO)be institutionalized and adjusted toLebanon’s particularities.Fifth – continued work oncommunication and advocacy by: • Launching the online version of

the 3rd Lebanon report on theprogress achieved toward theimplementation of the MDGs.The report will be available onthe CDR and the UNDP’swebsites.

• Completing the “Media forDevelopment” project, byfollowing up the implementationof several workshops in which anumber of Lebanese mediapeople, chief editors andrepresentatives of local civilinstitutions are expected toparticipate. These workshopsshall be coupled with meetingswith decision-makers in order tostrengthen support for the effortsaiming at achieving progresstowards MDGs at the nationallevel.

• Continuing meetings with schooland university students tointroduce the MDGs to them. Itis hoped the meetings will beheld in 3 universities and 5public and private schools.

UN Joint Program for ConflictPrevention & Peace Building inNorth LebanonThe MDG Trust Fund is aninternational cooperation

mechanism whose aim is tosupport efforts towards theachievement of the MDGs. It wasestablished in December 2006when the Spanish Governmentgranted EUR 528 million to theUN, and it has ever since beenproviding support to governments,local authorities and NGOs, toaddress the problems of povertyand achieve social justice. Itoperates in 49 countries all overthe world through 128 programsimplemented by more than 20 UNorganizations in partnership withdozens of governmental and non-governmental organizations. Andin order to achieve the best results,the Fund adopts the Joint Programapproach combining several UNorganizations – six on average foreach program – to benefit fromtheir experience in addressingvarious issues.

The Fund in LebanonIn Lebanon, the fund supports ajoint program implemented by sixUN organizations: the UNDP, theInternational Labor Organization(ILO), the UNRWA, the UnitedNations Population Fund(UNFPA), the United NationsChildren's Fund (UNICEF) andthe United Nations Educational,Scientific and CulturalOrganization (UNESCO). In Lebanon, this program is part ofthe “conflict prevention andpeacebuilding” efforts. It targetsparticular areas in North Lebanon:Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen inTripoli, Palestinian camps in theNorth and their Lebanesesurroundings, in addition to theAkkar region, particularly AlSahel, Ad Dreib Al A’la and AdDreib Al Awsat.

The program’s management andimplementation are jointlyensured by the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee(LPDC), the Ministry ofEducation and Higher Education,the Ministry of Labor and theReconstruction and Recovery Unitin the Presidency of the Council ofMinisters. The CDR represents theLebanese Government in theprogram’s High SteeringCommittee. It was launched after the situationsof tension and conflict witnessedin the North during the last years,led to instability and hampered thedevelopment process in thegovernorate, especially followingthe devastating war in the Nahr ElBared Camp in 2007, and thearmed conflict in theTabbaneh–Jabal Mohsen armedconflict in 2008. After these events underminedtrust between several localcommunities in the North, theorganizations taking part in theprogram worked on monitoringand analyzing the negative effectsof these events on the economicand social levels, and it wasdecided accordingly to work onalleviating these crises bycontributing to the improvementof relations between the differentparties involved and facilitatingthe establishment of local dialoguemechanisms in order to preventand manage conflicts.The Program’s work started inSeptember 2009 and are expectedto end in August 2012. Theprogram’s nine goals are thefollowing: Activating the role of Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue mechanisms


at the national level, and mainlythe LPDC.Providing support for theestablishment and the activation oflocal community conflictresolution forums, and improvingsocial services in the regionswhere these forums operate. Strengthening the culture ofpeace, human rights and genderequality among local womencommittees and NGOs in targetedareas. Improving the conflict resolutionability of the youth and the NGOsoperating with the youth intargeted areas. Developing the capacity ofpopular committees in AlBaddawi and Nahr El Baredcamps to improve their handlingof public issues in the camps,particularly in what concerns therelationship with the Lebanesesurroundings. Implementing a national mediacampaign aiming at improvingLebanese-Palestinian relations.Building the capacity of the Akkarregion municipalities in the areas

of participatory local governanceand planning for economic andsocial development. Setting plans for the economic andsocial development of the northernAkkar region.Implementing economic andsocial projects and initiatives thataim to bring towns and villagescloser together in the regions of AlSahel, Ad Dreib Al A’la and AdDreib Al Awsat in Akkar. UN organizations taking part inthis program work onimplementing various activities inpartnership with all the concernedprivate and public institutions,namely: municipalities, publicschools, UNRWA schools, civilassociations and representatives ofpublic administrations andinstitutions.

Major achievements until2011First – the program provided theneeded financial and technicalsupport to the technical staffaffiliated to the LPDC to enablethe committee to perform its

consultative role concerning theLebanese-Palestinian relationsand improve the situation ofPalestinian refugees in Lebanon.In this context, the technical staffworked to strengthen the relationbetween the Lebanese and thePalestinian communities in northcamps and surrounding areas, byintensifying coordinationmeetings between representativesof local authorities and civilassociations from the two parties. Second – the program createdlocal work groups and regionalcommittees to increase the level ofpopular and civil participation inthe planning of the localdevelopment process. In thisregard, one of the majorachievements was theidentification and the selection ofsix vital projects benefitting boththe Lebanese and the Palestiniancommunities in North Lebanon,by the Lebanese-Palestinian workgroups in the Nahr El Bared andAl Baddawi camps, made up ofrepresentatives of the localauthorities and civil associations.

Youth activity - Mouhamara

Sport activity - Tripoli


Third – in coordination with theMinistry of Education and HigherEducation and the administrationsof UNRWA schools in the North,the program trained 3000elementary and secondarystudents, both males and females,in the schools of Tripoli, AlBaddawi, Nahr El Bared andAkkar. The training focused onlife skills and constructivedialogue, in addition to the use ofarts and sports as primary meansof communication. It led to anincreased level of interactionbetween students from both theLebanese and the Palestiniancommunities, and to radicalchanges in students’ awarenessand performance levels. Fourth – the program targetedyouth groups and NGOsoperating with the youth in AlTabbaneh and Jabal Mohsenregions, and in Al Baddawi andNahr El Bared camps and thesurrounding villages, byorganizing capacity developmentand community dialogueworkshops. The outcome of thissupport was the creation of apermanent forum for theLebanese Palestinian associationsin the regions of Al Baddawi andAl Bared. Fifth – in coordination withdevelopment services centersaffiliated to the Ministry of SocialAffairs (MOSA) and civilassociations active in the North,the program trained womengroups and civil bodies on topicsrelated to reproductive health,gender equality, domesticviolence and women’s rights, inaddition to life skills,communication, and communityleadership. Moreover, a group of

the trainees were selected tobenefit from additionalspecialized training to becometrainers and play a leading role inthis area. Sixth – the program providedtraining for popular committees’members in Al Baddawi and NahrEl Bared camps on community-based conflict resolution methods,communication, and negotiation,in addition to several subjectsrelated to local governance andthe sound management ofprograms and projects. Thistraining increased the levels ofawareness and performance ofpopular committees’ membersand led to the involvement oflocal community, particularlyyouth and women groups in thetwo camps, in the planningprocess led by these committees. Seventh – in cooperation with theMinistry of Interior andMunicipalities, the programorganized workshops for newlyelected municipalities in Akkar. Italso organized activities to train agroup of men and womenfarmers, and provided them withfinancial support through a micro-finance scheme implemented bythe Lebanese Association forDevelopment – Al Majmoua. Andafter an analysis of economicsectors in Akkar, with theparticipation of various segmentsof the community, the programset two strategic plans fordeveloping the olive-growing andvegetables sectors in the region.Then it established two workgroups representing the regions ofSahel Akkar and Dreib, which inturn drafted articles of associationand established a cooperativeincluding representatives of local

authorities, agriculturalcooperatives and farmers from thetwo regions. The outcome of themeetings and workshopsorganized by the two cooperativeswas the selection of twodevelopment projects targetingthe sectors of vegetables andolives. Main trends in 2012First - Continued support to theLebanese-Palestinian DialogueCommittee (LPDC)Second – Implementing six vitalprojects benefitting the camps andtheir surroundings, which wereselected by the Lebanese-Palestinian work groups in NahrEl Bared and Al Baddawi camps. Third – Continuing to providetraining for students in schools inTripoli and in the camps, inaddition to working with theCitizenship Committee at theMinistry of Education and HigherEducation to train educators inpublic schools and integrate theconcepts of children’s right,avoiding violence, genderequality and conflict managementin the official curriculum.Fourth – Continuing to providesupport to the permanent forumfor the Lebanese Palestinianassociations by equipping apublic center to form a commonspace for these associations tomeet and work. Fifth – Continuing to trainwomen groups in coordinationwith the Ministry of SocialAffairs and civil associations, andproviding the necessary means toenable some associations in theNorth to provide domesticviolence prevention services. Sixth – Providing financial andtechnical support to popular,


youth and women committees inAl Baddawi and Nahr El Baredcamps in order for them toimplement the agreed projects in2011. Seventh - Providing financial andtechnical support to thecooperatives in the regions ofDreib and Sahel Akkar for theimplementation of two strategicprojects: the Center for theDevelopment of VegetableCultivation in Sahel Akkar and theCenter for the Development ofOlive Cultivation in Dreib/Akkar.After the projects’ completion inAugust 2012, the MoA willsupervise the centers.

Capacity Building forPoverty ReductionThe MOSA, in cooperation withthe UNDP, completed theactivities agreed upon in the lastphase of the project, in the firstquarter of 2011. The main objective of this projectis to enhance the pivotal role ofthe Ministry of Social Affairs insetting and implementing socialpolicies at the national levelespecially. The project also seeksto undertake a national fieldinvestigation on living conditions.This investigation would provideaccurate and comprehensivestatistical data used to formulatepolicies aiming at reducingpoverty. The project also ensuressupport to the MOSA inelaborating a social protectionplan and reorganizing its servicesprograms, as well as revitalizingthe role of development servicescenters as a major factor in theregional development process.Moreover, the project providedthe necessary support to the NGOSupport Unit in order to facilitate

civil associations access toresources and training programs,and facilitate the communicationand cooperation process amongassociations, and between theassociations and the donors, forthe purpose of enabling them tobecome an influential pressuregroup and support development atthe national level. The project also continued to playits role as a Secretariat for theministerial committee for socialaffairs through working onfinishing the national strategy forsocial development, issuing a mapof the local development projects,implemented or ongoing andupdating the database establishedthrough the ART GOLD –Lebanon in 2008. The projectstarted the first steps to create anelectronic website to coordinatethe implemented and ongoinglocal development initiatives; italso includes information on thedevelopmental priorities for eachregion. The project continued toplay its role as a supporting unit tothe MOSA especially with regardto reform and restructuring.

Transfer of Knowledge throughExpatriate Nationals (TOKTEN)projectThe aim of TOKTEN project is toacquire the expertise of Lebaneseexpatriates, in order to enhancethe national development effortsand transfer their expertise andknowledge. The following is asummary of the main missionsachieved by a group of theseexperts in 2011:

1- Ministry of Public Health:Cancer Treatment Guidelinesadopted by the MinistryThe number of cancer patients is

increasing in Lebanon. Accordingto the National Cancer Registry,8000 new cases are diagnosedeach year. In this respect, morethan 50% of cancer patients inLebanon receive their medicationfor free from the Ministry ofPublic Health, which represents53% of the total medication costsfor incurable diseases provided bythe Ministry of Public Health. In order to place controls overcancer medication prescription topatients benefiting from theMinistry of Public Healthdonations, the Ministryestablished a national committeeto set treatment guidelines; itincluded seven oncologists fromLebanon and abroad (amongwhich experts from the MDAnderson medical center) and themanager of TOKTEN project.The committee established a set oftreatment guidelines according toscientific standards, following theexample of developed countries,in order to rationalize spendingand provide patients with the besttreatment.In October 2010, the “guide” waslaunched under the patronage andin the presence of the Minister ofPublic Health. This booklet wasprepared according to the finalversion of the guidelines, aftertaking account of the observationsof the concerned scientificsocieties and the Lebanese Orderof Physicians. And after theextension of the Committee'swork, pursuant to the Minister’sdecision, it reviewed the “guide”in 2011 after having added thetreatment guidelines related toleukemia, brain cancer andchildren's cancer. In this regard, aUS$ 10,000 grant was provided bya Lebanese expatriate, in addition


to the previously availableresources, to issue a secondedition of the booklet, expected tobe published in May 2012.

2 Ministry of Public Health:supporting the awarenessprogram on the importance ofscreening and early detection ofbreast cancerIn the Arab World, 80% ofdiagnosed breast cancers are in avery advanced stage, compared to30% in developed countries due tothe attention given to regular earlydetection of this type of cancer. Inthe framework of the BreastCancer Awareness Programorganized every year by theMinistry of Public Health,TOKTEN project organized amission the director of BreastImaging at the Johns HopkinsBreast Center. It includedactivities aimed at raisingawareness on the importance ofearly detection through increasingearly screenings in order to reducethe number of deaths from breastcancer. Here follows a summaryof these activities: • Workshops at SaidaGovernmental Hospital andQarantina Governmental Hospital

TOKTEN project organizedworkshops at Saida GovernmentalHospital and QarantinaGovernmental Hospital, with theaim of training primary health caredoctors on the Mamma Caresystem, approved by the JohnHopkins University MedicalCenter, for a thorough breastexamination. The workshopsincluded a theoretical part andpractical clinical application. • A seminar on mammography

A regional radiology seminarorganized in cooperation with theMinistry of Public Health. It wasattended by around 200radiologists from all the ArabWorld.

3- Ministry of Public Health: aseminar on neuroradiologyAt the request of the Minister ofPublic Health, TOKTEN projecthelped the Ministry by providing aneuroradiology expert from thePennsylvania University Hospital,Who gave a speech in the annualregional seminar on radiology. Itwas held in Lebanon with theparticipation of doctors from allthe Middle East.

4- National Centre for ScientificResearch: Remote SensingCenterThe TOKTEN project brought ina GIS expert, to offer hisknowledge and practicalexperience for the purpose ofimplementing the followingactivities: • Developing a program for thenew GIS-based geodesy network.• Developing a matrix algorithmand parameters network.• Proposing subsequent activitiesand making recommendationsconcerning the network. • Providing solutions for landslide.• Developing a program with theLebanese Army’s GeographicAffairs Directorate to extend themission’s results.

5- Ministry of Public Health incoordination with the Office ofthe Minister of State forAdministrative DevelopmentAffairs: training on psychologicalsupport in crisis and disaster

situations.In cooperation with the Office ofthe Minister of State forAdministrative DevelopmentAffairs, TOKTEN projectorganized two workshops ondeveloping the ability of doctorsand nurses in crisis and disastersituations (Critical Incident StressManagement – CISM), in whichparticipated more than 40 publichospitals doctors and nurses. Thetraining, provided by apsychiatrist, specialized in themanagement of psychologicaltrauma in crisis and disastersituations, focused on developingthe ability of doctors and nurses tohandle and communicate withcrisis and disaster victims, as wellas their families, in order toimprove their critical incidentstress management skills, andenable them to control thesituation, develop a response planto address the crisis, communicatewith the staff and providetreatment for the victims and theirfamilies. This workshop shed lighton the importance of benefittingfrom the experience andknowledge gathered by Lebaneseexperts living abroad andtransferring them to the Lebanesemedical system in the publicsector.

6- Ministry of Interior andMunicipalities: developing areform plan for the CarRegistration Authority The Lebanese TrafficManagement authority wasestablished to observe and monitortraffic and related matters. Withthe increase in the number of carsand the desire to transform thisdepartment into an active unit, the

100 CDR October 2012

Training Session - North Lebanon

Ministry of Interior andMunicipalities requested technicalassistance for the elaboration of areform plan for the VehicleRegistration Authority, in order totransform it into a modern andactive administration contributingto sustainable urban transport. In this framework, a trafficmanagement expert from Qatar ,held several meetings with theAdvisor to the Minister of Interiorand Municipalities, the head of theCar Registration Authority, thehead of the Traffic ManagementOffice and the vehicle mechanicalinspection company, to work onthe elaboration of the plan.However, it was agreed topostpone the process until afterthe revision of the laws andregulatory decrees currentlygoverning this administration’swork.

7- Ministry of Telecommunication:developing a strategy for thestandardization of postaladdressesLebanon currently lacks astandardized postal addresssystem, and most addresses areincomplete and inaccurate. In thisregard, studies have proven that

poor address systems havenegative effects on social andeconomic development, povertyreduction, tourism, public safetyand emergency services. A GIS expert’s mission aimed atsupporting the Ministry in itsreview of the final version of thestrategy for the creation of a GIS-based address system inconformity with internationalstandards, and in setting animplementation plan for it, inaddition to the preparation oftender specifications.

Women’s issues / Citizen’s issues• Project on electronic portal for

womenThe National Commission forLebanese Women, with thesupport of AMIDEAST, createdthe electronic portal for women,and works on constantly updatingall its sections. The project aims atstrengthening the commission bypromoting its access toinformation and giving it thechance to discuss its views withexperts, and get in touch withlocal, regional and internationalparties in the field of women’srights. The electronic portal iscomposed of the following parts:

- Cyberzone center: it gives non-governmental organizations thechance to own an electronicportal with no expenses.

- International center: it works asa link between Lebanese womenmovement and womenmovements in the world, and asa focal point for Arab andinternational governmentalcommittees as they can publishtheir works, communicate andexchange information.

- Women forum: this part aims atplaying the role of a forumwhere women can discuss issuesrelated to gender equality.

- National Commissionpublications on Lebanesewomen’s issues: this centerallows Lebanese women andmen to publish worksimmediately on the net, thusreaching a wider public inLebanon and across the world.

- Electronic library: this libraryincludes references, books andpublications on women’s issues.

• Population and developmentprogram:

This program is part of the currentcycle of cooperation programsigned between the UNFPA and


101CDR October 2012

the Lebanese Government for theyears 2010-2014, and aiming atstrengthening policies and theinstitutional framework to developand implement strategiesintending to limit poverty andachieve just economicdevelopment. It also aims atdeveloping capacities in usingavailable information to integratepopulation dynamics and healthyreproduction issues and equityamong genders throughdeveloping planning and controlon local, regional andinternational levels, and thatthrough a variety of activitiesdetermined on a yearly basis. Thisprogram is implemented incollaboration with the Ministry ofSocial Affairs and the UNFPA.

Main activities executed during 2011:1. Carrying out a study to monitor

the needs of the PermanentNational Commission for theElderly, in order to activate itsrole, being the main referencefor the development of nationalpolicies related to the elderly inLebanon.

2. Conducting research work anddrafting reports to enrich thedata and information base abouttopics related to the elderly.

3. Preparing and publishing abooklet under the title of“Lebanon among 7 billionpeople… new figures andpending issues”, which includescore indicators/statistics onvarious development andpopulation issues in Lebanon.The purpose of this booklet is todraw attention to theimportance of urgentpopulation issues and the needto find solutions. It examines

seven key issues addressed bythe initiative at the internationallevel by focusing on povertyreduction, girls and women,youth, reproductive health,environment, population agingand urbanization. It acts as astimulating tool directed to themedia, but it also serves a groupof stakeholders such asparliamentarians and peopleworking in publicadministrations, as well asresearchers and civilassociation representatives, byshedding light upon populationpriorities in Lebanon.Therefore, this booklet can beconsidered an important sourceof brief, fast and easy-to-useInformation about the coreindicators and statistics at thenational level.

Moreover, the Population andDevelopment Program organizeda technical meeting for expertsand representatives of concernedpublic administrations to get theirfeedback, verify the accuracy ofthe used data and sources, andbuild consensus on the booklet’scontent and on the best way toarrange the information andpresent it.

It is worth mentioning that ayearly planning and variousactivities exist for the populationand development program of2011, focusing on the integrationpopulation issues, equality issuesbetween genders, and elderly,both in development planninglocally and regionally.Other projects are beingimplemented with the assistanceof the UNFPA in coordinationwith official and civil concerned

parties, among which:

• Project of enhancing capacitiesof the National Commission forLebanese Women, towards genderintegration in plans and programsat a national level and in ruralareas:The National Commission forLebanese Women is carrying outthis project. It aims at enhancingtechnical and institutionalcapacities of mechanisms andnational institutions, political andstrategic frameworks relative tocapacitating women and equalitybetween genders.

The main achievementsduring 2011 are:1. Adopting a 10-Year NationalStrategy for Women in Lebanon -2011-2021:a- After the completion of the firstdraft of the 10-Year NationalStrategy for Women in Lebanon,and after its discussion by theGeneral Assembly members, thestrategy draft was presented to therepresentatives of concernedministries and publicadministrations, and to civilsociety bodies and internationalorganizations in the framework ofa two-day national workshop forits discussion on the 18th and the19th of March 2011. b- The participants adopted twelvestrategic goals centered onpromoting full citizenship on thebasis of equality between men andwomen, enhancing women’sparticipation at all levels: politicsand decision-making positions,education, health, economy,environment, and themainstreaming of gender in publicpolicy.



c- The National Commission forLebanese Women proceeded toadopt the appropriate steps for thedevelopment of a national workplan for the purpose ofimplementing the strategy, incooperation with civil societyinstitutions. d- Subsequent steps:- Completing the preparation of

the national plan in order toimplement the national strategy.

- Organizing workshops for theimplementation of the nationalwork plan; each of the civilsociety’s organizations willchoose one or more of thestrategic goals and work onachieving them.

- Seek the adoption of the 10-YearNational Strategic Plan forWomen in Lebanon by theCouncil of Ministers.

2. In this context, theachievements in the framework ofthe “gender mainstreaming”program, with the support of theUNFPA, are the following:- Preparing a study on all the

projects and proposed laws ordecrees aiming at eliminatingdiscrimination against women inLebanon, submitted to theparliament, by the NationalCommission for LebaneseWomen or other parties betweenthe years 2000 and 2011. Thisstudy includes a list of theprojects and proposed laws anddecrees related to women, anddetails the articles to beamended, the submitting party,the date, the current situation ofthe project and the subsequentsteps.

These steps include:- Preparing an analytical study on

the reason for which these

projects or proposals were notadopted by the parliament, andidentifying the appropriatemechanism to be followed foradopting a pressure policy andwinning support to ensuresuccess in passing the law.

- Laying the foundations forlaunching the NationalObservatory for gender issues inLebanon by gathering sufficientinformation to prepare studiesabout women and proposepolicies.

- Gathering informationperiodically to update the study.

• The preparation of a study by theNational Commission on the rightof Lebanese women to pass ontheir nationality to their children,just like Lebanese men, whichincluded a comparison withseveral Arab and western laws.Moreover, the Commission calledfor a meeting of experts to discussthe study as a preparation for thelobbying campaign for itsadoption by the Parliament.

Social and Economic Development · Social and Economic Development Integrated Regional Development Projects Economic and Social Fund for Development The Economic and Social Fund for

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