United NationsDevelopment ProgrammeLebanon

A Global Deve l o p m e nt Ne two rk

"The blueprint for how we want to drive

change… lies in one simple algebraic

phrase: a2 and p2… advocacy and

advice… pilots and partnerships…"

Mark Malloch Brown,UNDP Administrator

What is UNDP?

UNDP is the UN's global development

network,advocating for change and

connecting countries to knowledge,

experience and resources to help

people build a better life. UNDP is on

the ground in 166 countries, working

with them on their own solutions

to global and national development

challenges. As they develop local

capacity, they draw on the people of

UNDP and its wide range of partners.

What does UNDP work on worldwide?

UNDP chairs the UN D evelopment Group

and helps developing countries attract

and use aid effectively. Its mandate is to

support countries in creating and sharing

innovative solutions to the common

challenges of:

➜ Democratic Governance

➜ Poverty Reduction

➜ Crisis Prevention and Recovery

➜ Energy and Environment

➜ Information and Communications

Technology

➜ HIV/AIDS

In all its activities, UNDP encourages the

protection of human rights and the

empowerment of women.

What are the Millennium

Development Goals?

As a trusted, effective and knowledge-

able organisation,UNDP is entrustedwith

the mission of strengthening networks

and co-ordinating global and national

efforts to achieve the eight Millennium

Development Goals set out by world

leaders by 2015:

1. Halve extreme poverty and hunger.

2. Achieve universal primary education.

3. Empower women and promote

equality between women and men.

4. Reduce under-five mortality by two-

thirds.

5. Reduce maternal mortality by three-

quarters.

6. Reverse the spread of diseases,

especially HIV/AIDS and malaria.

7. Ensure environmental sustainability.

8. Create a global partnership for

development, aiming to set targets for

aid, trade and debt relief.

Which are some of the

UNDP-Administered Agencies?

Through UNDP country offices, the

United Nations Volunteers (UNV) extend

hands-on development assistance in 140

countries, while United Nations

Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)

works in over 100 countries to provide

financial and technical assistance that

promote women’s human rights, political

participation and economic security. By

investing with the poor and developing

the capacity of local institutions, United

Nations Capital Development Fund

(UNCDF) seeks to help eradicate poverty

through local development programmes

and micro-finance operations.

"Focusing on people and creating meaningful

changes in people’s lives is what development is

all about – and UNDP Lebanon does that with

depth and wide cove ra g e. UNDP remains an

indispensable network to address problems of

marginalised groups and to make use of state-

of-the-art development tools. It is painful to read

about the lack of women in decision-making lev-

els in National and Arab Regional Hu m a n

Development Reports but by exposing this chal-

lenge, UNDP creates a powerful impetus to do

something about it – whether through advocacy

processes or partnerships in empowering pro-

grammes."

Nayla Moawad

Member of Parliament

President, Rene Moawad Foundation

UNDP in the Arab Region

"From the Atlantic to the Gulf,

people – women,men and children –

are the real wealth and hope of Arab

countries." Arab Human Development

Report 2002

Through growing efforts of 17 countr y

offices in the Arab world, UNDP seeks

to support people in 22 states of the

Arab world in developing a better

understanding of challenges, assets

and opportunities. The Sub-Regional

Resource Facility for Arab States

(SURF-AS) facilitates the search and

use of knowledge in key development

areas. This includes information on

expertise, experience sharing and best

practices, as well as policy advice and

technical support to initiate new pro-

grammes. In addition,innovative

programmes are implemented under

the umbrella of the Regional Bureau of

Arab States (RBAS),which incorporates:

Regional Prog ramme for Gove rn a n ce in

the Arab Wo rl d :

Targeting the economic and social

development of the Arab region by

creating an environment where good

governance and effective public

resource management can be practised

and advocated.

Centre for Arab Women Training and

Research:

A leading source of information and

expertise in the A rab region that helps

decision-makers and actors in the field

better implement policies and advocate

for projects affecting women.

Information Communication

Technologies for Development in Arab

Region:

Established in partnership with the

public and private sector, ICTDAR

supports participating A rab countries in

reducing poverty by fostering a more

information-enabled society.

Trends in Inte rn ational Mat h e m at i c s

and Science Study:

Supports supports participating Arab

States in developing policies and

strategies for improving the quality of

education at all levels.

Strengthening Capacities for

Promoting Arab Economic Growth

Under Globalisation:

Aims to render high-level advisory

services that promote economic growth

rates and foster employment, in addition

to dealing with globalisation and

regionalisation.

The Arab Human Development Report

(AHDR):

The first Arab Human Development

Report was launched in July 2002.

It probes the causes of deficits in

under-development in the Arab region

and identifies three areas that need

to be addressed:governance, women’s

empowerment, and knowledge.

" Arab co u n t ries have enjoyed impre s s i ve

achievements in improving health, education

and living standard s. In three deca d e s, l i fe

expectancy increased… and child mortality…

more than halved… the Arab region achieved

the largest improvements in female education

of any de veloping region. Despite considerable

achievements, a backlog of deprivation and sti-

fled development persists in the Arab region.

The Report analyses this backlog in terms of

human poverty… poverty, not in income, but in

capabilities and opportunities."

Rima Khalaf Humaidi

Regional Director, UNDP’s Regional Bureau

for Arab States

UNDP Lebanon

"The challenge…for the UN Country

Team lies in the potential achievement

of increased impact on human develop-

ment in the country, in making a greater

and more positive contribution towards

a better life for all the people of

Lebanon." Yves de San,UN Resident

Co-ordinator

Mandate

Since the inception of technical

co-operation programmes in 1960,

and following a period of restricted

activities during the war, UNDP Lebanon

fully resumed in 1992 and has evolved

in orientation and coverage to address

national needs and emerging priorities,

and specifically to achieve three critical

objectives:

➜ To help the United Nations

become a driving force for sustainable

human development.

➜ To effectively use UNDP resources

to implement core goals: poverty

eradication through employment

creation and sustainable livelihoods,

the advancement of women,

environmental protection,and the

promotion of good governance.

➜ To strengthen international co-

operation and ensure its catalytic

contribution to national development.

The process of co-operation between

UNDP and the Lebanese Government

is operationalised in a Country

Co-operation Framework (CCF) which

outlines jointly planned national

programmes and focuses on results.

As the designated representative of

the Secretary-General,the Resident

Co-ordinator leads the UN country team

and oversees the operational activities

for development at a country level,

by harmonising the initiatives of UN

agencies and working closely with the

government (CDR being the national

counterpart of UNDP),civil society and

the private sector.

Goals

Reflecting Lebanon’s key development

priorities, UNDP in partnership with the

Government of Lebanon have set two

overall goals:

➜ Enhancing national decision-making

capacity for human development.

➜ Promoting and implementing a

rights-based approach to development.

Main Pillars

To achieve its goals and maximise

d eve l o p m e nt impact, UNDP stri ves to

f a c i l i t ate :

➜ Governance

➜ Poverty Reduction

➜ Environmental and Natural Resource

Management

Cross-Cutting and Supporting Actions

In order to strengthen the linkages

between policy reform and empower-

ment, UNDP integrates the following

in its initiatives:

➜ Advocacy and the promotion

of a national development dialogue

➜ Gender and development

➜ Youth participation

➜ Partnerships and resource

mobilisation

➜ Management and support

"The Ministry of Social Affairs has built, togeth-

er with UNDP, a strong partnership that aims to

reinforce the on-going efforts to understand

the characteristics of the poor in the country

and to develop a national framework for pover-

ty reduction. This partnership is characterized

by a strong commitment from both parties to

create positive and sustainable change at sev-

eral levels:improving living conditions of com-

munities in poor regions, building the capacity

of MoSA staff membe r s, p roducing publica-

tions, implementing a multi-purpose poverty

s u rvey, and fo rging partnerships with other

stakeholders in civil society to elaborate further

development initiatives."

Nimat Kana’an

Director General

Ministry of Social Affairs

Environmental and Natural Resource Management

Poverty Reduction

Governance

Advocacy and the Promotion of National Development Dialogue

Partnerships and Resource Mobilisation

Youth Participation

Gender and Development

Management and Support

For more information on or partnership

ideas for UNDP Lebanon:

Check our our website:www.undp.org.lb

Write to UNDP at: registry@undp.org.lb

partners for change

networkfacilitator

trusted advisorcapacity builder

connector

UNDP is a development network - as wide as the aspirations of the people

and institutions it works with.

Environmental and Natural Resource Management

Sustainable development includes the

protection and regeneration of the

environment, and the sound management

of renewable and non-renewable resources.

The establishment of the Ministry of

Environment in 1993 provided a major spark

in identifying and shaping support to

national needs, which UNDP-Lebanon has

been promoting through the:

➜ Mainstreaming of environmentally sound

strategies within all ministries at a national

level.

➜ Assisting the Government with technical

assistance to build the capacity of national

stakeholders.

➜ Supporting the Government in ‘greening’

legislation and implementing international

conventions.

Breathing life into principles and conven-

tions, UNDP-Lebanon has pursued strategic

impact areas to work on such as:

Implementing Conventions:

Transforming international conventions

into action and mainstreaming environment

into national development planning, UNDP

supports related ministries in designing

national strategic and operational plans.

Some examples include:

The Biodiversity Convention initiatives

The Protected Areas Project put in place an

effective system to safeguard endemic and

endangered species. In addition, The Agro

Bio Diversity initiative develops conservation

mechanisms with local communities. The

National Bio safety Framework is operational

under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

that includes regulatory, administrative and

decision-making systems that ensure protec-

tion from the use of modern biotechnolo gy.

The Montreal Protocol prompted the setting

up of ozone monitoring office and the

phasing out of ozone-depleting substances

through several investment and non-invest-

m e nt pro j e ct s.The Methyl Bromide Al te rn a t i ve s

project started in partnership with the

Ministry of Environment and subsequently

included the Ministry of Trade for conduc-

ting environmental studies on the cost and

benefit of alternatives to methyl bromide.

The Climate Change Convention

encouraged the establishment of a green -

house gas inventory identifying the high

emissions sectors, paving the way for several

operational projects, among which are the

establishment of an energy centre, thermal

building standards, and policy assessment

of electricity tariffs.

The UN Convention for Combating

Desertification is pursued under a joint

effort between UNDP and the Ministry of

Agriculture.

The Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Convention of Stockholm is a global project

that is being translated into a national imple-

mentation plan to phase out all POPs from

the health sector, in partnership with

the Ministries of Environment and Health.

Institutional Set-up and

Strengthening:

The pivotal Rio Convention of 1992 and the

subsequent Capacity 21 and 2015 spurned

off real efforts in developing national institu-

tional and regulatory frameworks, as well as

linking global conventions and issues to local

governance. Through partnerships with the

European Union and others, UNDP devel-

oped essential environmental management

tools: Strengthening the Permitting and

Auditing System for Industries (SPASI) as a

capacity building for policy makers and key

stakeholders in developing an environmen-

tally compliant system;and the Lebanese

Environment and Development Observatory

(LEDO) which leads to a better understan-

ding of the state of environment in Lebanon

through critical data and indicators’ develop-

ment and dissemination.

Civil Society Capacity Building:

Recognising their indispensable role in the

implementation of environmental projects

and local community outreach,UNDP

collaborates with NGOs on protected areas,

ecotourism,and follow-up on international

conventions and conferences. Such

partnerships are enhanced through a GEF

Small Grant Programme – a UNDP tool for

addressing global concerns at a grassroots

level.

"UNDP's partnership with the Mi n i s t ry of Env i ro n m e n t

in Lebanon is histo ri cal and dates back to the year of

the establishment of the Mi n i s t ry. UNDP's suppo rt and

i nvo lvement in this sector was invaluable and instru-

mental for its grow t h ,d evelopment and expansion of

o pe ra t i o n s. It lead to major improvements and po s i-

t i ve impacts as well as to paving the way for a solid

m a i n s t reaming of env i ronmental dimensions within

the national development planning. The late s t

National Assessment re po rt undert a ken jointly with

UNDP and the Mi n i s t ry of Fo reign Affairs for the

WS S D, assessing these undert a kings and challenges

d u ring the past 10 ye a r s, u n d e rpins the re l eva n ce,

s t rength and uniqueness of this part n e r s h i p. "

Berj Hatjian, Director General

Ministry of Environment

"The launch of Capacity 2015 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg 2002 states the conviction

that… the only way to deal with the levels of poverty and resource depletion in the world today is to build people’s capacities to be

more efficient and more effective in their use of resources." Building on Success in Capacity D evelopment, Choices, August 2002

Poverty Reduction

In an effort to address challenging social

and economic situations of marginalised

groups in Lebanon,UNDP’s intervention in

poverty reduction, regional development

and civil society aims at the reduction of

disparities by:

➜ Integrated regional development as

a means of poverty alleviation by consolida-

ting the projects and programmes dealing

with marginalised areas such as Baalbeck-

Hermel and Akkar.

➜ Support to post conflict reconstruction

and development in two regions of

Lebanon: Mount Lebanon’s area of internal

displacement and liberated South Lebanon.

➜ Strengthening of local governance

structures and civil society organisations

to enhance local participatory development

by supporting the government in revising its

current decentralisation policies, and to pro-

mote efforts to build capacities of municipal

councils and other local actors.

Such interventions are multi-disciplinary

linking different sectors such as education

and health,employment generation, poverty

alleviation,and local capacity building. They

guide on-going dialogue and partnerships

with national stakeholders in civil society in

an effort to consolidate national strategies

for balanced development. A sample of

initiatives include:

Poverty Reduction Policies:

With the support of UNDP, the Ministry of

Social Affairs strives to make p overty allevia-

tion a national priority. It seeks to enhance

the participation of civil society members

to combat poverty and make better use of

national statistics that specify the p oor and

their needs. The Mapping of Living Conditions

is used as a resource tool guiding decision-

makers with valuable information to

formulate anti-poverty plans and policies.

Re-integration and Socio-

Economic Rehabilitation of the

Displaced Programme:

In partnership with the Ministry of the

Displaced, UNDP aims to encourage a

substantial return of internally displaced

persons in the Mount Lebanon region – the

most affected area. The programme sup-

ports reconciliation processes; rehabilitation

of the socio-economic sector and creation

of new employment opportunities;and

mobilisation and co-ordination of resources

for a meaningful return process.

Post-Conflict Socio-Economic

Rehabilitation of Southern

Lebanon Programme:

A joint project of UNDP and the Government

of Lebanon,this programme operates in the

former occupied region of south Lebanon.

It includes the support to co-operatives;the

establishment of youth clubs and support to

Community Development Centres (CDCs) in

partnership with the Ministry of Social

Affairs;and capacity building of 38 munici-

palities to increase their role in community

development.

Regional Development in Akkar:

In support of one of the poorest regions in

Lebanon,UNDP implemented a regional

development project in Akkar. As a result,

15 micro-projects for poverty alleviation

have promoted income generation and job

creation focusing on unemployed youth,

economic empowerment of women and

strengthening of local government services,

as well as partnership with civil society

organisations to co-ordinate joint efforts.

" The Fa res Foundation and UNDP have both identified

municipalities as key players in sustainable ru ra l

d eve l o p m e n t. Ac co rd i n g ly, t h ey have designed a larg e

p a rt of the development partnership in No rt h

Lebanon around suppo rt for and partnership with

l ocal municipalities. As an element of this stra te gy,

UNDP and the Fa res Foundation are seeking part n e r-

ship with the Un i ve r s i ty of Balamand to provide va l u-

able te c h n i cal and institutional suppo rt in building

the capacities and developmental abilities of munici-

p a l i t i e s. Ex pe ri e n ce, ex pe rt i s e, and commitment are

keys to success in sustainable deve l o p m e n t. In our

p a rtnership with the UNDP we have found those

a t t ri b u tes in abundance. "

Paul Salem

General Director, The Fares Foundation

"UNDP has helped us initiate projects that benefit us in our communities – it is up to

us to continue the work." A woman participating in the UNDP programme in Southern

Lebanon

Governance

Good governance is a process that promotes

an effective and participatory relationship

between the state and other actors, both at

national and local levels, and supports insti-

tution-building and human development.

UNDP works on the promotion of national

dialogue for a comprehensive vision of

governance that guides national reform to

achieve two main goals:

Enhanced national strategic plan-

ning and decision-making

including modernization of structures, skills,

procedures, services and information by:

➜ Promoting reliable decision-making tools.

➜ Developing a competent human resource

base and institutionalised skill building.

➜ Engaging partners and sectors in

planning.

➜ Implementing institutional reform.

Good governance

through interventions on several critical

levels:

➜ Creating a platform for dialogue and

participation in national planning and goal

setting to meet new challenges.

➜ Mainstreaming legislative development

by supporting the structures and pr ocesses

of Parliament.

➜ Promoting ICT for development in the

public and the private sector as well as in

civil society.

➜ Empowering civil society and increasing

public awareness of human,social and

economic rights issues.

➜ Promoting decentralisation and local gov-

ernance as a means for local development.

Some of the projects under institution

building and support to policy making

include:

Public Sector Reform, Institutional

Development and e-Government

UNDP supports the Lebanese government’s

efforts and specifically the Office of the

Minister of State for Administrative Reform

(OMSAR) to develop crucial modernisation

projects, including Information and

Communication Technology (ICT) solutions

in the ministries of Finance, and Economy

and Trade.

Fiscal Reform and Management

(Revenue Enhancement):

UNDP provides the Ministry of Finance with

a flexible mechanism for aid co-ordination

and for soliciting professional expertise to

help the Ministry per form its fiscal policy and

administrative functions.

Institutional Development for

Economic Growth

UNDP supports the Ministry of Economy and

Trade to develop and implement competi-

tive economic policies and in managing

partnership with global, regional and natio-

nal economic organisations. UNDP also

supports IDAL in identifying strategic invest-

ment and strengthening its capacity to

service investors.

Strengthening the Structure of

Parliament

This project raises awareness about develop-

ment issues among parliamentarians, and

assists parliamentary committees to broaden

the dialogue with national stakeholders.

" The co - o pe ration be tween the UNDP and the

Lebanese Pa rliament empowers the Pa rt l i a m e n t’s

a d m i n i s t ration and te c h n o l ogy in addition to ex p a n-

ding citize n’s participation in all matters of mutual

co n ce rn be tween the St a te and soc i e ty. By deve l o p i n g

e f fe ct i ve legislative stru ct u re s, we are be t ter able to

p ra ct i ce good gove rn a n ce and to re s pond to pe o p l e’s

n e e d s. "

Bilal Charara,

Director, Parliament of Lebanon

"Governance…[is] the exercise of economic, political and administrative authority to manage a countr y’s affairs at all

levels…Good governance is… participatory, transparent and accountable. It is also effective and equitable and it promotes the

rule of law." Arab Human Development Report 2002

Advocacy and the Promotion of National Development Dialogue

The Human Development Report

From small villages to global capitals , the

Human Development Report (HDR) has

become an indispensable tool in sparking

and shaping awareness, advocacy and action

for human development – as an information

tool and an advocacy process. Building on

the groundbreaking work of the Nobel Prize-

winner Amartya Sen Mahbub ul-Haq, and

others, the global HDR mobilises leading

expertise to assess the state of development

from a people-centred perspective. It puts

the expansion of human capabilities, choices

and opportunities at the heart of the deve-

lopment process – maintaining a balance

between economic growth,equity, sustain-

ability, and empowerment.

The shift in development perspectives is

reflected in the global HDR,which increa-

singly tackles issues of democrac y, human

rights and governance. The Human

Development Report 2003, Millennium

Development Goals:A Compact Among

Nations to End Human Poverty offers a unique

analysis of the world’s progress in meeting

the ambitious Millennium Development

Goals and introduces a detailed new plan of

action to meet those goals .

The regional HDR promotes regional part-

nerships for influencing change, and

addresses region-specific human develop-

ment approaches to human rights, poverty,

education,economic reform,HIV/AIDS,and

globalisation. The Arab Human Development

Report 2002: Creating Opportunities for Future

Generations is the first regional Report for

the Arab States

The National HDR is one of the principal

processes that anchor human development

firmly within the national agenda. The first

three National Human Development Reports,

managed jointly with the Council for

Development and Reconstruction (CDR)

examine human development priorities from

a national perspective and experiences

underscoring pertinent local themes:

Profile of Sustainable Human

Development in Lebanon 1997

the first national human development report

in Lebanon reflected on the challenges of

the country following the war perio d, and

stimulated debate on the priorities of de ve-

lopment laying special emphasis on social

and environmental aspects.

Youth and Development 1998

focused on youth as a resource for change

and engagement in tackling national chal -

lenges, and addressed development action

which promotes the capabilities of youth

and increases their participation for socio-

economic and political integration.

Globalisation: Towards a Lebanese

Agenda 2001-2002 explored the

challenges and opportunities of globalisa-

tion for the national agenda,providing useful

insights as well as a platform for dialogue

concerning development and globalisation

strategies.

The First Global Re t re at for National Hu m a n

Deve l o p m e nt Re po rts was held in Be i rut 2001;

m o re than 75 part i c i p a nts re p re s e nting 40 co u n-

t ries from all five regions of the wo rl d,human deve l-

o p m e nt pra ctitioners and team membe r s, ex pe rt s

and gove rn m e nt co u nte rp a rts shared kn ow l e d g e,

lessons learnt and good pra ct i ce s, as ex pe ri e n ce s

we re discussed and impact analys e d.

"Development is a momentous engagement with freedom’s possibilities"

Amartya Sen, Nobel prize-winning economist in "Development as Freedom"

Partnerships and Resource Mobilisation

The creation of new partnerships and

strengthening of existing ones is a critical

element in UNDP’s vision to become a fully

networked organization, co-ordinating and

facilitating joint efforts between different

actors. Mobilising substantive collaboration

and funding relationships puts institutional,

entrepreneurial and social resources at the

heart of innovative development initiatives.

Government and Public

Institutions

UNDP is a key stakeholder in national

development and theLebanese Government

provides major financial and substantive

contributions to the development process.

UNDP works closely with government

ministries and agencies and espouses

capacity building, joint project implementa-

tion,and advocacy for positive change in

national policies.

UN Inter-Agency

UNDP seeks a harmonized, integrated

approach to development on the basis of

collaborative action,joint solutions and

optimal leverage of resources and impact.

Joint regional initiatives provide opportuni-

ties for consultative meetings and experi-

ence sharing at a regional level. In addition,

UNDP seeks to integrate UN Volunteers pro-

gramme in its various national sec tor activi-

ties, and to develop linkages between the

private sector and community development.

Donors

As a voluntarily funded organisation,

UNDP’s ability to meet development needs

of countries it serves depends on having an

adequate and secure resource base.

Diversifying partnerships expands resources

as well as helps in building coalitions for

change. UNDP seeks co-financing with a

range of actors such as the European

Commission,the World Bank,bilateral

donors, Arab funds, the private sector, and

other international funds such as the Global

Environment Facility (GEF) and the Montreal

Protocol,as well as civil society.

Private Sector

UNDP engages the private sector in policy

dialogue, promotion of development priori-

ties and effective transfer of know-how.

In addition to initiatives such as “The

Environment Audit Manual for Hotels”,

UNDP has also partnered with the media

on its "Media Award for Human

Development". Through the "Enhancing

Business-Community Relations" project of

the UN Volunteers and the Academy of

Business, UNDP creates linkages with civil

society and government on key socio-eco-

nomic and environmental issues.

Civil Society

UNDP partners with NGOs, think tanks, foun-

dations, academia and local government

institutions to build on resources and capaci-

ties for local development. In addition to an

up-to-date database of Non-Governmental

Organisations (NGO) operating in Lebanon,

UNDP supports the Ministry of Social Affairs

in running an NGO Resource Centre as an

institutional framework for state-of-the-art

capacity building programmes.

"Partnership is not just an add-on, expanding our capacity to do business. Partnership is about the w ay we do our business…it is

to connect, not delineate. It is to create opportunities, not define turf. It is to seek alignment with the external rather than to seg-

ment from within." Bruce Jenks, Director of the Bureau of Strategic Partnerships, UNDP

In i t i a l ly a simple env i ro n m e nt fo rum organised by Scht ro u m p f, a

Lebanese re s t a u ra nt chain, the “Go Green 2003” has evo lved to

be come a national multi-stakeholder env i ro n m e nt awa reness ca m-

p a i g n . This UNDP- s u p po rted pro j e ct was officially launched on

Wo rld Env i ro n m e nt Day, 5t hJune 2003, to enco u rage co rpo rate soc i a l

re s po n s i b i l i ty on env i ro n m e ntal issues. It marks an effe ct i ve part-

nership be tween UNDP, the Mi n i s t ries of Env i ro n m e nt and

Ag ri c u l t u re, and the pri vate sector - Coca - Co l a ,Te t ra Pa k , Ba rter Ca rd

and Scht ro u m p f. "I hope that you can wo rk on the school level – pro-

moting env i ronmental awa reness be cause children are the basis of

s oc i e ty and we can pro te ct our co u n t ry if we kn ow how to avoid ru i n i n g

n a t u re ", said Abir Ba l m o u n i of the Lebanese Un i ve r s i ty, a part i c i p at-

ing student in the Ph o to Tour of this initiat i ve.

St u d e nts part i c i p ating in UNDP and Scht ro u m p f’s Go Green 2003, an env i ro n m e ntal awa reness pro j e ct in partnership with Te t ra p a k , Coca Cola and Ba rter Ca rd

" One of the most exciting things we have done in this

co u n t ry is suppo rting and being a part of the Yo u t h

Mobilisation Pro j e ct in partnership with UNDP’s Po s t -

Co n f l i ct Soc i o - Economic Rehabilation of So u t h e rn

Lebanon Prog ra m m e. It re p re s e n ted a pe rfe ct co m b i-

nation of part n e r s, a po l i t i ca l ly oppo rtune initiative, a

s t ra tegic choice to wo rk in the new ly libe ra ted So u t h ,

t a rgeting a cri t i cal group for re conciliation– yo u t h .

Wa tching the youth of So u t h e rn Lebanon emerg e

f rom 22 years of Is raeli oc c u p a t i o n , discussing their

i n te r- co n fessional re l a t i o n s h i p s, women's rights and

youth co n ce rns made me realise that even though the

whole wo rld was not going to change after this pro j-

e ct,the sparks that came out of those discussions we re

p recious enough to just be witnessed."

Michel Rentenaar

De p u ty Head of Mi s s i o n ,Embassy of the Ne t h e rl a n d s

Youth Participation

Youth constitute one fifth of the population

in Lebanon,facing challenges in employ-

ment and social and political participation.

UNDP’s 1998 National Human Development

Report on Youth and Development elabo-

rates opportunities in all sec tors that support

the socio-economic and political integration

of youth – so that their voices are heard in

national debates and their skills and aspira-

tions are integrated in development goals.

UNDP in partnership with related govern-

ment ministries, UN agencies and UN

Volunteers target youth in various pro-

grammes:

Re-integration and Socio-

Economic Rehabilitation of the

Displaced Programme

With thousands of internally displaced peo-

ple following the civil war in Lebanon,UNDP

in partnership with the Ministry of the

Displaced attempts to mobilise youth from

different displaced and returnee communi-

ties in summer camps, workshops, joint com-

munity initiatives, environmental activities

and reconciliation efforts.

Post-Conflict Socio-Economic

Rehabilitation of Southern

Lebanon Programme

Operating in villages of the former occupied

south of Lebanon,this initiative has an out-

reach of dozens of villages and hundreds of

youth participating in youth clubs within a

network of community development centres.

Through those centres, UNDP with the

Ministry of Social Affairs equip youth with

practical information technology applica-

tions that enable youth to develop better

communication skills and create diverse

channels for interaction.

Policy Framework

The National Human Development Report

on Youth and Development 1998 exposes

a myriad challenges facing youth and poten -

tial opportunities for participation. UNDP

seeks to engage public stakeholders and

the UN Inter-Agency Youth Task Force in a

coherent results-oriented framework to

provide more opportunities for youth to lead

a healthy and active lifestyle. Examples

include parliamentary sessions used as plat-

forms for focused policy recommendations

to the government.

"Young people represent the best agent for change…your task is to build a stronger

society…dream of it;design it;build it." Kofi Anan, Secretary General of the United

Nations - National Human Development Report 1998

In partnership with AGFUND and the Mi n i s t ry of

Social Af f a i r s, UNDP implemented the pro j e ct,

“St rengthening Institutions for the Deve l o p m e nt of

Women Ent re pe n e u r s” as a means to enhance the

s oc i o - e conomic conditions of poor women thro u g h

i n c reased part i c i p ation in small and medium-size

e nte rp ri s e s. UNDP provided institutional suppo rt to

the Mi n i s t ry and ten co m m u n i ty deve l o p m e nt ce n-

t res to co n d u ct in-serv i ce spe c i a l i zed tra i n i n g.

Hu n d reds of women ent re p reneurs and tra i n e r s

we re trained on gender ori e nt at i o n , basic living

s ki l l s, business awa re n e s s, and access to cre d i t

s c h e m e s.

Gender and Development

UNDP puts gender issues at the core of all

its programmes – ensuring women’s access

to the benefits of development and

strengthening their role in decision making

both at the local and national levels. This is

achieved through various initiatives:

➜ Inter-agency initiatives that help UNDP

make gender a visible and critical issue on

the national agenda.

➜ Integrated community development pro-

grammes that promote productive activities

benefiting women in poor households.

➜ Mainstreaming gender in an effort to

influence policies and programmes and

promote changes for the benefit of women.

UNDP in regional collaboration with ESCWA

on the Development of National Gender

Statistics Programmes aims to strengthen

national capacity in the production,use and

dissemination of statistics related to gender

issues.

➜ Analysing the situation of Lebanon with

regards to development deficits concerning

women. One of the issues underlined in

the Arab Human Development Report, was

the empowerment of women from the

perspective of citizenship laws and women

in decision-making. Discussion series are

co-sponsored by UNDP and the Lebanese

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in

partnership with civil society and parliamen-

tarian committees.

"Worse outcomes for women in many aspects of human development result from

the fact that their voices have less impact than men’s in the decisions that shape their

lives"… Human Development Report 2002

Management and Support

UNDP works towards strengthening the

capacity of the government and people to

effectively manage projects and

programmes, and to raise the level of its

policy efficacy. It collaborates with the

Council for Development and Reconstruction

(CDR) -the national counterpart of UNDP –

and is directly involved in rehabilitation and

reconstruction efforts but adopts a suppor-

ting role to national execution in diverse

ways such as:

➜ Providing quality technical expertise .

➜ Transferring best practice with continuous

emphasis on monitoring and evaluation.

➜ Targeting improved programme delivery

and resource mobilisation techniques.

➜ Promoting the full use of national profes-

sionals in programmes and using expatriate

knowledge through the TOKTEN facility.

➜ Ensuring logistical and operational

management capacity including procure-

ment, recruitment and financial services.

➜ Strengthening partnership and experi-

ence sharing between civil society and the

private sector in project implementation.

"Our commitment to development makes us advocates of change and our wide,

decentralized presence keeps UNDP close to development issues, resources and

thinking”. Mark Malloch Brown,UNDP Administrator

" The UN is the organisation of the people and its ro l e

as a multilate ral institution is cru c i a l , whether in fac-

ing global challenges part i c u l a rly trade re l a ted issues

and sustainable deve l o p m e n t, or in facilitating co -

o rdination be tween civil soc i e ty and gove rn m e n t s.

One of the pri o ri ty issues we wo rk on as Arab NGO

Ne two rk for Development is awa reness raising and

ca p a c i ty building of Arab civil societies to enable them

to monitor the implementation and the re s pe ct of the

o u tcomes of the UN Su m m i t s, m u l t i l a te ral agre e-

ments and proce s s e s. Pa rt n e ring with UNDP on a

Ca p a c i ty Building Wo rkshop on Globalization and

Global Trade was ve ry substantive be cause it helpe d

us gain essential kn owledge from re s o u rce persons on

the global aspe cts of trade and spe c i f i ca l ly the inte r-

nal process of WTO - all of which we re essential to our

awa reness and lobbying act i v i t i e s. "

Ziad Abdel Samad

Executive Director

Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND)

United Nations Development Programme

United Nations House

Riad El-Solh Square - Beirut, Lebanon

Telephone:(961) 1 981 301

Facsimile:(961) 1 981 521

E-mail: registry@undp.org.lb

Website:www.undp.or g.lb

UNDP is the UN’s global development network,advocating for change and connecting countries

to knowledge experience and resources to help people build a better life.