social and economic development · social and economic development cdr has taken a significant step...

Social Infrastructure 69CDR July 2005

Social and EconomicdevelopmentCDR has taken a significant stepforward in this domain through theestablishment of the Social andEconomic Planning Departmentwithin its Division of Planning andProgramming. This initiative willconfer a new dimension on CDR’sactivities that extend beyond itsachievements in reconstructionand rehabilitation. It will create ahuman and social dimension to itsefforts that responds to bothregional and sectorial develop-mental priorities. This will alsoimpact the investment programsand policies of the government.CDR, in cooperation with severalof governmental and internationalagencies, has planned and coordi-nated the implementation of sever-al projects that aim to raise theliving standards of marginalizedgroups and lead to significantchange at the national level. TheCouncil's vital role in building acollaborative relationship with

various stakeholders in this sectoremerges from its management oftwo projects: The CommunityDevelopment Project, (CDP)financed by the World Bank, andthe Economic and Social Fund forDevelopment, (ESFD) financed bya grant from the European Union(EU), as well as other projects thatare implemented jointly with anumber of UN agencies.The total value of contracts award-ed to date in this sector amountedto about US$ 44 million.Future plans for the social andeconomic developmental sectoraim to promote a culture of devel-opment and establish a socialdevelopment strategy based onsectoral and regional needs. Thiswill be accomplished in coordina-tion with and cooperation of allconcerned parties in order to con-tinue providing social services toneedy groups. Emphasis will bemade on the issues of gender, dis-

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Meeting of (ESFD) with Women Local Community

ability, displaced people andyouth problems, in addition tocapacity building to reintegratesuch groups into civil society.Government policy aims at pro-viding these social services, eitherdirectly through its network ofDevelopment Service Centers(DSCs) run by the Ministry ofSocial Affairs (MOSA), or indi-rectly through collaboration withNGOs and other institutions. Inaddition, MOSA will endeavor toimprove its own capabilities in theareas of planning and monitoringto raise its intervention capacityand improve the quality of itsservices.

Achievements to date

Improving living conditions of thepoor: In its capacity as the agencyresponsible for implementing thisprogram at the national level,MOSA worked closely with theUnited Nations DevelopmentProgram (UNDP) to implementthe following activities:

1- Multi-purpose Social Survey:An agreement was signed at thebeginning of the year between

MOSA’s project for CapacityBuilding to alleviate Poverty andthe Central Administration ofStatistics (CAS), in collaborationwith the World Bank, to imple-ment a multi-purpose survey ofliving conditions of Lebanesehouseholds. This survey aims toprovide more accurate informationon living standards in Lebanon,social and economic characteris-tics of the population and povertyaspects through specialized fieldsurveys. The survey also aims tocollect the required data onincome and consumption to beused for extracting nationalaccounts and price level indica-tors. This project is financed byMOSA (US$ 932,000) and UNDP(US$ 334,000). A separate agree-ment was signed between MOSAand CAS (the latter's share US$500,000) for implementing thesurvey of household living condi-tions. The survey was initiated inFebruary, 2004.

2. Social Report: The report aimsto update various sectoral indica-tors that help formulate nationalpolicies. Workshops were organ-ized last December to evaluate

proposals by the concerned stake-holders. This report was issued inApril, 2004.

3. NGO Resources Unit: This unithas been established and started toissue publications on subjects thatinterest the civil sector and societyat the central level.

4. Ministry Reform Plan: Todevelop the management of socialservices and to design a strategyfor decentralized management ofservices through DevelopmentService Centers (DSCs) andthrough partnerships with NGOs.Consultations will continue withCDR to coordinate these objec-tives with other national programsand priorities.

Strategy Study of DevelopmentService Centers (DSCs): Thisstudy was completed in December2002. The report included a set ofrecommendations aiming toenhance the development role ofthe DSCs. The cost of this study(US$ 98,000) was funded by aJapanese grant and it was man-aged by the World Bank.National Human Development

Meeting of the local committee for development (Akkar) Rehabilitation of villages infrastructure (Bridge Construction)

Social Infrastructure70 CDR July 2005



Report 2001-2004: The thirdnational human developmentreport was published inSeptember, 2002 under the title:"Globalization: Towards aLebanese Agenda". The reportfocuses on specific challenges andopportunities posed by globaliza-tion that help human development.This project was financed by CDR(US$ 50,000) and UNDP (US$75,000).

Automation of the Ministry ofSocial Affairs: MOSA, benefitingfrom a grant offered by the WorldBank, signed a contract with aconsultancy firm to determine thespecifications of a computer soft-ware that responds to the require-ments of the Ministry of SocialAffairs. This was judged neces-sary to improve the targetingprocess of MOSA and to ensure itsoptimum control. MOSA alsosigned an agreement with anotherconsultant to define the configura-tion of the software needed for itsfinancial and administrativedepartments. CDR contributedUS$ 150,000 to this effort.

National Program Supported byUNFPA: Within the framework ofthe second phase of the nationalprogram supported by UNFPA,which covers the period 2002-2006, the tender documents relat-ed to three projects were approvedin December 2002, as follows:

- Integration of demographic anddevelopment strategies in thenational planning and program-ming process: This project aimsat:

a) Enhancement of the nationalcapacities for integrating demo-graphic, reproductive health andgender issues into the planningprocess at both the national andsectorial levels.b) Increasing the availability ofdemographic data classifiedaccording to gender and geograph-ical areas.c) Raising awareness of decision-makers, members of parliament,the media and community leadersconcerning the priorities of demo-graphic, reproductive health andgender issues. MOSA will imple-ment this project over a period of

49 months. A steering committeefor the project will include repre-sentatives from CDR, MOSA, thePermanent National DemographicCommittee, the Central Adminis-tration of Statistics and other localstakeholders. The role of this com-mittee will focus on enhancingcoordination, teamwork andaccountability.

It is worth mentioning that duringimplementation of the first cycleof the national program supportedby UNFPA, within the context ofdemographic and developmentalstrategies, a national demographicpolicy report was completed andsubmitted to the Council ofMinisters in August 2001. Basedon this document, an executivework plan will be prepared foraccomplishing the objectives ofthe demographic policy duringthis new phase of the support pro-gram.

- Information, education and com-munication in the field of repro-ductive health at the local commu-nity level and integrating repro-ductive health awareness and serv-ices in targeted regions:

These two projects are included inthe reproductive health sub-pro-gram within the context of thisnew phase. The reproductivehealth sub-program aims toimprove the quality of life of thepopulation through:

a) Improvement of reproductivehealth standards.b) Reduction of social and eco-nomic disparities among variousgroups. c) Establishing a balance between


population dynamics and socio-economic development.

MOSA and the Ministry of PublicHealth are responsible for imple-menting these two projects. Theinterventions initiated through theinformation, education and com-munication project aim to buildcommunication capabilities ofreproductive health servicesproviders, and to raise the level ofawareness among both young andolder people concerning reproduc-tive diseases and protectionagainst AIDS.The institutional organization ofthe information, education andcommunication project at MOSAwill ensure its sustainability.Specialized agencies will berequested to implement some ofthe planned activities.The Ministry of Public Health(MoH) will implement the follow-ing main activities:- Selection of 150 health centers toprovide an integrated package ofreproductive health services.Health teams working at thesecenters will benefit from compre-

hensive training courses toupgrade their knowledge andunderstanding of reproductivehealth principles.- Providing primary health careservices in general and reproduc-tive health services in particular,through actual implementation ofmedical protocols and service pro-cedures.- Extension of the health informa-tion system with emphasis onreproductive health to support thedecision-making process andmonitor work progress.

Preparation of a national report topursue the Millenium SummitGoals (MDGs): CDR and UNDPlaunched the national report forpursuing the realization of MDGsin Lebanon. A work team fromUNDP, CDR and NGOs is helpinggovernment prepare this report toserve as a tool for monitoringprogress on MDGs and their tar-gets, adopted by 191 countries inSeptember 2000.

It is envisaged that this report willreflect the development priorities

and objectives for Lebanon in thecoming 15 years. UNDP allocateda budget of US$ 46,000 for thispurpose. A national symposium todiscuss the findings and recom-mendations of the report wasorganized in February 2004.

Integrated Regional Develo-pment Projects

These projects aim to improve theliving standards and economicconditions of needy regions anddisadvantaged communities. Thiswill be realized through improvingbasic social and economic infra-structures and developing the pro-ductive capacities of the regioninhabitants. Such balanced devel-opment could only be realizedthrough a partnership between thepublic sector on the one hand, andthe private sector and civil societyon the other.Integrated Rural Development

Program for Baalbeck-Hermel:During 2002, CDR worked close-ly with UNDP to fulfill all obliga-tions required under this program.

Loan Project for income increase (Bee Culture)




A work team selected from theprogram staff was formed to helpin implementation. Since launch-ing this phase in 1997, CDR con-tributed about US$ 7 million. Thefunds were used to implement var-ious interventions introducedthrough the program and providefinancial support to cover the costof required human resources.

Local Community Developmentin Arab Rural Areas-Lebanon:

The activities of this joint projectwere completed at the end ofDecember 2002. The final reportand evaluation of the project arecurrently under preparation forreview by the concerned parties,i.e. CDR, ESCWA, AGFUND andMercy Corps International. Usefullesson learnt through this reportwill be documented and sharedwith other parties.Preparatory Studies for the RuralDevelopment Project: CDR,through a Japanese grant (PHRD)managed by the World Bank, pre-pared four preliminary studies forestablishing a rural developmentproject in Lebanon. These studiescovered the following areas: inte-grated rural development policyand strategy, evaluating participa-tion needs for accelerated ruraldevelopment, marketing of agri-cultural products, availableoptions for project activities, aswell as institutional assessment ofthe project.

Economic & Social Develop-ment Program for South Leb-anon:

Following the withdrawal of Israelfrom the occupied areas of South

Lebanon in May 2000, and basedon previous studies, the govern-ment, represented by CDR, initiat-ed, in consultation with UNDP, ajoint program for the developmentof liberated villages in the South.The program aims to provideassistance for people who did notabandon their land during overtwenty years of occupation. Thisinvolved implementation of smallprojects that help improve eco-nomic activity in the region, moti-vate people to stay in their villagesand encourage displaced personsand immigrants to return to theliberated areas.

The program targets liberatedareas in the following cazas:

Marjayoun, Hasbaya, Bint Jbeiland part of Sour (Tyr). A perma-nent office was set up in Sour forimplementing this program. Itshould be noted that the activitiesof the program did not cover westBekaa and Iklim al Toufah due tothe limited funding available.

The work of the program focuseson strengthening local institutionsin the area, supporting their capac-ities and upgrading their perform-ance to allow them to continue andperform the roles they were creat-ed for. Several activities wereimplemented related to strength-ening the capabilities of munici-palities and local institutions, rein-tegrating young people in society,promoting investment sectors,providing microcredits for smallprojects, creating a system forestablishing a data base to storeand share information on liberatedareas. The program designed fivebasic sectors to focus on for its

activities: Municipalities sector,Youth sector, EconomicDevelopment sector, AgriculturalCooperatives sector,Rehabilitation of Freed Prisonerssector. Local institutions will be trainedand needs assessments performedprior to the implementation of anyproject. Participation of localstakeholders is mandatory in thephases of both planning and exe-cution.

(a)Municipalities Sector : Municipalities are the localauthorities in villages and townsand play a fundamental role incommunity development. Withinthe framework of the program forstrengthening capacities of newlyelected municipalities in the liber-ated areas of Sour, Bint Jbeil,Marjayoun and Hasbaya (38municipalities) the project organ-ized a series of training coursescovering: encouraging local par-ticipation, strategic planning,preparing project proposals,organizing and managing munici-palities.

The main objectives of the munici-pal technical support programinclude:- Conducting a comprehensiveeconomic and social field surveyof municipalities in liberated areasaimed at providing essential dataon each town or village.- Analysis and classification ofexisting human and materialresources, and studying localneeds assessment according toestablished priorities, in participa-tion with local stakeholders. - Empowerment of municipalitiesto enhance local participation in


planning and management ofmulti-purpose development proj-ects. - Strengthening capabilities oflocal authorities representatives inliberated regions for developingtheir skills in planning and man-agement. - Supporting municipalies inimplementing micro socio-eco-nomic projects that take into con-sideration the issues of environ-ment, local participation and theincrease of local domestic prod-uct.

The Municipalities’ TechnicalSupport Program led to the estab-lishment of “Town File”, whichconsists of a form on the socialand economic conditions of thetown/village, in addition to a digi-tal map for each town/village. The“Town File” and related“Training Workshops” playedpractically an effective role inclarifying the municipalities’needs and the way to fulfill them. In 2004, within the framework ofthe program for developingmunicipalities’ capabilities andtraining support, training courseswere held for the municipalitieselected in May 2004 (in particular,22 newly created municipalities).The program organized trainingseminars on the issues of enhanc-ing local participation, strategicplanning and participation in proj-ect plans. The program was limit-ed to training activities due to thelimited funds available.

Training objectives are as follows:- Familiarization with the meansthat enhance local participationand the way of integrating this intodaily work agendas.

- Acquiring administrative skillsin general, and strategic planningskills in particular.- Preparing and writing a develop-ment project document to securenecessary funding and assistlaunching implementation.- Elaborating means that helpmunicipalities to activate externalpartnerships and increase rev-enues. - Help in implementing microdevelopment projects.

(b)Youth Sector: This sector aimsto reintegrate young people in lib-erated areas into society, togetherwith three other major objectives: 1- Creating a sense of commoncitizenship and belonging amongthe young. 2- Creating a free platform foryoung people based on dialogueand acceptance of other’s view-point. This will lead to commondenominators concerning prob-lems and their feasible solutions. 3- Development of youth capaci-ties and enhancing a spirit of lead-ership and initiative for participat-ing in benefiting their communi-ties.

To ensure continuity of theseactivities within the framework ofthe local capacity building policy,agreement was reached withMOSA to turn the DCSs into thelocal partner in the youth sector.This partnership would be realizedthrough establishment of severalactive youth associations in cer-tain municipalities of the South,and to work with them, through awork team appointed by theDCSs, to implement voluntaryactivities that aim to activate therole of youth in all development

areas.

In this context, 32 youth associa-tions were formed and 27 comput-er training centers established tofacilitate access to the Internet inregions where no youth associa-tions exist. In addition, six cinemahouses and a number of sports sta-diums and public parks wereestablished in these regions.The program strategy is based onthe belief that the youth sectorforms a vital and fundamental toolof community development. Con-sequently the program trains youthassociations in various fields toenhance their capacities andincrease their participation andactivities.

During 2004, the program fundedand executed the following activi-ties at a total cost of US $ 42,625.- Training workshops on conflictresolution. Eighty young men andwomen graduated as trainers.- Workshops covering non-vio-lence education.- Inviting 100 young people fromyouth associations to participate inthe technical orientation forumheld annually in Beirut.- Organizing a festival in Rmeishto demonstrate young talents.- Holding two summer camps fortraining young people on trainingskills.- Organizing tree planting cam-paigns in eleven townshipsActivities performed and fundedby youth associations as a result oftraining and collective workwithin the program included: - Computer training courses held

in the 27computer centers sup-plied by the program.

- Several film shows in the six




new cinema houses equippedunder the program.

- Organizing sports tournaments- Trips to various regions of

Lebanon- Illiteracy eradication and teach-

ing of foreign languages - Theatrical performances- Summer camps for children.

(c) Agricultural Cooperatives Se-ctor: Since 2000, the program hassupported capacity building ofagricultural cooperatives in theliberated areas through a series ofvarious activities. However, theprogram work was limited in 2004to follow-up of work progress andcoordination with agriculturalcooperatives benefiting from theprogram. In addition, a trainingworkshop was organized forCooperative Unions in SouthLebanon covering “the manage-ment of cooperative unions andtheir funding sources”. Unionmembers residing in the Southparticipated in the workshop.

The following activities wereimplemented and followed - up bythe program.• Organizing training workshopsfor cooperatives covering “Mana-gement of cooperatives, projectdevelopment and implementa-tion”, in the cazas of Marjeyoun,Hasbaya and Bint Jbeil. Eachworkshop involved 15 agriculturalcooperatives in each caza. In addi-tion, a workshop was conductedon “Enhancing marketing effi-ciency of agricultural cooperativesin South Lebanon”. • Financial assistance to coopera-tives to enable them to implement27 productive projects providedthat any cooperative receiving

assistance should form a partner-ship with the program through aminimum financial contribution. • Organizing a meeting betweenagricultural cooperatives anddonor organizations in Beirut on 7June 2002. This meeting gavecooperatives the opportunity topromote their activities, introducetheir regions and seek funding forfuture projects. With regard topotential donors, the meetingformed the first initiative thatallowed them to deal directly withlocal organizations without inter-mediaries.

Attached is a list of the coopera-tives operating in Marjeyoun andHasbaya cazas and the projectsimplemented.

(d) Economic Development Se-ctor: This sector aims to create jobopportunities that will improve thecritical economic conditions res-ulting from the general economicproblems of the country and overtwo decades of isolation due toIsraeli occupation. In addition toidentifying productive projectsthat help increase incomes andestablish the foundations for sus-tainable development in theregion, several of training courseswas organized for cooperatives inMarjeyoun, Hasbaya, Bint Jbeiland certain villages in Sour. Thetraining workshops included 30agricultural cooperatives in eachdistrict. Moreover, 32 agriculturalcooperatives in various fields weresupported within the framework ofcooperatives loan program.In the same context, a cooperationand partnership agreement wassigned with ADR, which con-tributed US $ 52100 of the pro-

ject’s cost against US $ 58500funded by the AGFUND. Trainingcenters were established in thecazas of Marjeyoun and Bint Jbeilto train members of the local com-munity on project and loan man-agement methods, agriculture andaccounting. Following the train-ing, certain individuals are select-ed and provided with micro loansto develop existing projects or toestablish their own new projects.Loans for US $ 38500 have beengranted to date to 16 beneficiaries.

(e) Rehabilitation of Freed Pri-soners: The objective of thissector cover elimination of socialand professional obstacles facingfreed captives as well as attendingto their physical and psychologicalhealth. The experience of captivitythey endured including the trau-mas of investigations, torture andbleak darkness of prison cells,whether individual or collective,created many problems thatimpeded their return to normal lifeand reintegration into society, andhindered them form carryingfamily responsibilities like othercitizens.

This project aims to help prisonersfreed from Israeli prisons andfrom Al Khiyam detention camp,both males and females, that fulfillthe following conditions:• Lebanese citizens. • Detention exceeded one year.• Residents of the cazas of

Marjeyoun, Hasbaya and BintJbeil.

The project components are basedon the following:• Medical treatment and rehabili-

tation- Medical and psychological tests.

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- Fulfilling the needs of the dis-abled.

- Psychological consultations.- Physical therapy .• Eradication of illiteracy, voca-

- Vocational Training linked tomarket needs.

• Income generation and produc-

- Helping locate employmentopportunities

- Establish a fund for rotatingloans

The budget for implementing thisproject is US $ 71,9334, managedby the Economic and SocialDevelopment Program for SouthLebanon, in coordination collabo-ration with institutions involved inthe this field.

(f) Cooperation with the MineRemoval Office: The programtakes into consideration the directrelationship between the socialand economic activities it per-forms and the work of the mineremoval coordination cell in SouthLebanon ( MACC). Accordingly,cooperation and partnershipbetween both program teams havebeen established. The MACCteam became the primary benefici-ary of the database developed bythe program for its activities inland mine removal.Through its field work and database, the program contributed toforming and enabling local associ-ations to establish links with gov-ernment organizations in theregion that help facilitate landmine removal operations. Despitethe fact that the South remainsunder the threat of land mines, it isexpected that demining operationswill allow people to benefit from

cleared areas and facilitate thereturn of many inhabitants to theirland.

(g) The Program’s CoordinationActivities: Since launching itsoperations, and within the contextof UNDP policies and internation-al experience, the program organ-ized regular coordination meetingswith international organizations,NGOs and community based asso-ciations. These developmental andcoordination activities becamemonthly events with the participa-tion of the most active associa-tions in the South.

In addition to the regular exchangeof information, the monthly coor-dination meetings sought to acti-vate developmental activities thatattempt to fill the gap and avoidsquandering of funds, consideringthe limited available and theurgent needs of the liberated areas.These periodic meetings serve toconnect organizations South withthe international demining teams.

The Socio-Economic Program forSupport of Repatriation of theDisplaced: This project aims toinitiate and strengthen reconcilia-tion efforts between residents andrepatriates, as to provide the basicsocial services to the inhabitantsof these regions. The project hasrealized major achievements,including: Supplying 120 youthclubs with computers, audio-visual aids and educational materi-als; supplying 185 public schoolswith audio-visual aids and educa-tional material; providing comput-er courses in 23 secondary schoolsand training of 36 teachers.Moreover, 24 health centers and

clinics were supplied with the nec-essary equipment required toimprove their health care services.

Additionally, eight training work-shops were organized in which900 young people participatedfrom Aley, Baabda and Shoufcazas. The subjects coveredincluded conflict resolution andenhancement of partnerships withNGO's and municipalities. Seven-teen training courses were held toraise awareness concerning chil-dren’s rights, academic guidanceand computer training. More than2500 public school students weretargeted through these courses.The program organized variousyouth activities, including bothresident and daily summer camps.It also organized, in cooperationwith youth clubs, sports eventsand voluntary work.

The project sought to update thedemographic data covering 139villages and towns. The data weremade available to municipal coun-cils and other partners. TheGeographic Information System(GIS) continues to be used in thisrespect.

On the agricultural sector level,training courses covering variousagricultural issues were organizedfor about 80 agricultural coopera-tives. These covered the sectors ofolive growing and olive oil pro-duction, beekeeping, cattle rais-ing, vegetable and fruit growing.More than 3000 farmers benefitedfrom these courses. Pamphlets andspecialized studies covering thesesubjects were issued to concernedparties and farmers. Ninety-fivesmall-scale projects were imple-



tional education and training:

tivity:


mented to upgrade the agriculturaland local infrastructure for therehabilitation of potable water sys-tems and water springs. The pro-gram contributed to the strength-ening 12 agricultural cooperativesthrough supply of agriculturalequipment. The cost of this pro-gram was about US$ 50,000.The project team continued tomanage the implementation of theagricultural development projectattached to the Ministry of theDisplaced, funded by the EU (euro6.8 million). This enabled farmersto obtain loans and develop theirskills.

In light of the above achievementsin the enhancement and support ofyouth, municipalities, associa-tions, schools, health centers andagricultural cooperatives infra-structure; and as a result of itsactivities that consolidate socialcohesion and promote reconcilia-tion among the villages and townsin Shouf, Aley and Baabda cazas,the program developed its inter-ventions through the promotion ofjoint programs that enabled it toestablish new partnerships withvarious donors, including theBritish, Japanese, German, Belg-ian embassies and USAID . By theend of 2002, the aggregate contri-butions from CDR, the Ministry ofthe Displaced, UNDP and otherdonors amounted to about US$ 3.2million.

The program, in cooperation withthe FAO Telefood Program, alsoimplemented four agriculturalprojects at a cost of about US$40,000.

In order to create new job oppor-

tunities and support significanteconomic activities, the programprepared a detailed pilot study, incooperation with the LebaneseUniversity’s Faculty of Tourism,covering issues of eco- tourism inthe upper Shouf areas. A touristguidebook was prepared for thesevillages and towns to attract visi-tors. A web page was also set upfor the region on which all touris-tic, historical, environmental andarchaeological data are displayed.

The program further endeavoredto develop an agricultural creditprogram, financed by the EU andmanaged jointly by the Ministry ofthe Displaced and the Union ofRome Universities (ICU). It intro-duced the “Tamkeen Association"(empowerment) as a local partnerto manage future programs andallocated microcredits that pro-mote economic activity and createjob opportunities. The objective isto design and develop economicactivities that limit migration tocities and encourage settlement inrural areas.

In addition, and in view of itsannual renewal since 2001 and thelimited available budgets, the pro-gram secured funding for somevital projects related to local com-munities (municipalities, clubs,NGOs and agricultural coopera-tives) through its relationshipswith embassies of donor countriesthat support development activi-ties in Lebanon. These includedthe British, German and Japaneseembassies, amongst others. Theprogram helped in the preparationand submittal of project proposals.The following projects werefunded and implemented.

• Semi-automatic olive oil fillingplant, financed by the JapaneseEmbassy for the benefit of theOlive Growers Cooperative inShouf (US$ 44,650).• Agricultural processing plant forthe al-Farah Social Foundation inKfar Nabrakh -Shouf financed bythe British Embassy (US$30,000), including related trainingcourses for women from 30 neigh-boring townships.• Honey refining and filling proj-ect, financed by the GermanEmbassy (US$ 10,000) andUSAID (US$ 20,000) for the ben-efit of the Apiarists CooperativeSociety in upper Metn andBaabda.• Sewing workshop financed bythe German Embassy (US$10,000) in Ein Wazein -Shouf, forthe benefit of Ein WazeinWomen’s Association.

The program was able to establishspecial relationships with Italy. Itorganized a trip to Italy for themunicipal unions of Upper Shouf,Sweijani, Northern District, al-Jourd and Sofar. The developmentof these relationships resulted inorganizing training courses for 44members of the unions coveringmechanization, town planning,maintaining municipality records,future planning and preparation ofproject proposals. Three projects(Euro 50,000) were submitted tothe province of Tuscany in Italyfor funding.

Socio-Economic DevelopmentProject in Akkar: This is a jointinitiative between CDR andUNDP. The project aims to sup-port sustainable mechanisms thatensure balanced development in


T


the region of Akkar. It also con-tributes to strengthening localcapacities and consolidating localpartnerships between the govern-ment and NGOs. The project fur-ther stimulates, through partner-ship efforts, economic opportuni-ties and improves access to basicsocial services that alleviatepoverty levels in Akkar. The totalcost is US$ 300,000 of which theLebanese government contributedUS$ 145,000.

The projects under implementa-tion comprise two components: (a)Socio-economic survey in al Jumaregion, in cooperation with al

Juma Municipalities Union, IssamFares Foundation and BalamandUniversity. The aim of this com-ponent is to survey human andnatural resources in the region,determine development needs andcreate a data base for each munic-ipality affiliated with the union.

This would facilitate the work ofeach municipality in defining andresponding to the priorities of thecommunity, (b) Empowerment oflocal administration in villagesthrough the formation of localcommittees in villages where nomunicipalities exist. This is sup-ported by training of committee

members in local developmentmethodology and preparation ofdevelopment plans based on prior-ities determined by all segments ofthe community.

Community Development Project(CDR): This project translates thegovernment's commitment toachieve equitable and balanceddevelopment strategies in allregions. CDR and the World Bankjointly launched this project inJanuary 2003.

The aim of the CDP is to establishan effective and sustainable meansto improve the living standards



and economic conditions of disad-vantaged groups. This would berealized through: (a) improvingaccess to basic social and econom-ic infrastructure by funding smallscale community based projectsthat satisfy local needs; (b)improving economic conditions ofpoor households by augmentinglocal incomes and productivity,and reducing vulnerability throughbasic skill training and capacity

building to supplement microcred-it initiatives; (c) planning socialprograms that aim to satisfy theneeds of particularly vulnerablegroups, especially women, chil-dren and the disabled; (d) docu-menting acquired experience inthis project and deriving its les-sons, in consultation with the con-cerned ministries, for developingneeded interventions to reducesocial and regional disparities in

human development.The project cost is estimated atUS$ 30 million. The Lebanesegovernment contributes US$ 5million, local communities con-tribute US$ 5 million in kind, anda loan (US$ 20 million) is grantedby the World Bank.

CDP will be implemented overfive years and consists of threecomponents:



- Social growth and infrastructuredevelopment.

- Enhancing incomes (capacitybuilding).

- Project management support.

These components will be realizedthrough two groups of programs.The first involves integrated localcommunity development of target-ed geographical areas, while thesecond covers programs that targetsectors at the national level.

CDP shall be implementedthrough a number of carefullyselected NGOs, or through part-nership agreements among anumber of them, to plan andimplement applicable programseither at the national level orwithin one specified "rural pover-ty area". These NGOs shall bereferred to as Project Inter-medi-aries (PIs).

PIs will be responsible for (a) con-ducting social assessments of ben-eficiary communities; (b) identify-ing demand-driven priority needsby implementing proposed proj-ects in cooperation with communi-ty leaders and other concernedstakeholders; (c) supervising,monitoring and evaluating imple-mentation of these sub-projects;(d) reporting on executed works toCDR.

CDR selected the required PIsbased on criteria adopted by theWorld Bank for work on nationalsectorial issues. On the other hand,CDR requested certain qualifiedand interested NGOs to expresstheir willingness to act as PIs in

nine rural poverty areas(Baalbeck/Hermel, Rashaya/Hasbaya; Akkar; Tripoli City.Minyeh/ Dinniye/ Zghorta;Batroun/ Jbeil/Bcharre; greaterBeirut; South Lebanon Nabatiyeh;Shouf/Aley). CDR issued the firstinvitations to tender covering fourregions and is proceeding with thepre-qualification process for otherregions.

Economic and Social Fund forDevelopment (ESFD): This proj-ect was initiated through a fund-ing agreement between theLebanese government and the EUin November, 2000. The agree-ment allocated euro 25 million bythe EU and an additional euro 6million by the Lebanese govern-ment for the establishment ofESFD as an autonomous institu-tion.

The project, launched in June2002, is expected to be completedwithin four years. CDR willmanage it during the first 18months. Thereafter, ESFD shallbecome an independent permanentinstitution. The interim periodshall be used to develop, test andimplement demand-driven part-nership mechanisms capable ofresponding to the needs of disad-vantaged groups, and contribute tothe alleviation of poverty.

The Fund Management Unit(FMU) forms the core of ESFDand will be provided with techni-cal assistance by the ProjectManagement Unit (PMU) duringthe project implementation. Thebasic functions of this projectcomprise two components:• Job creation component: The aim

is to create and maintain jobopportunities in disadvantagedareas by providing credits to smallenterprises and generatingincomes for the owners of theseenterprises.

• Local community developmentcomponent: This aims to improveaccess to social services, theirallocation and quality; to raiseliving standards of low-incomegroups by providing financial andtechnical support to projects pro-posed by local communities.

The following outlines the majorachievements since launching theproject in June, 2002.

The Job creation component start-ed with preparations for imple-menting projects in the regions ofthe North , South and Nabatiyeh.Loan agreements were concludedwith a local bank for LL 1.7 bil-lion in micro credits which canreach LL 30 million maximum.Arrangements were also madewith two NGOs to borrow LL 1.8billion in microcredits which canreach LL 7.5 million maximum.

A contract was signed with anoth-er NGO to provide business devel-opment services which will stimu-late and assist in the realization ofthe project. Another contract wassigned with a consultant to preparea study of investment opportuni-ties in Bint Jbeil. EFSD participat-ed in several local and internation-al symposiums and conferencesdealing with the planning andimplementation of credit strategiesfor local communities.

The local development component



of ESFD covered, in addition tothe MOUs signed in 2002 withMishmish (Akkar) and Aitaroon(Bint Jbeil) , the four MOUssigned with 9 other municipalitiesin the North and South. These arethe grouping of Majdala, MarTouma and Deir Dloum (Akkar);

the grouping of Shan and Kho-raibet al Jourd (Akkar); groupingof the towns of Tiri, Sorbine andRchaf (Bint Jbeil); and Ainata(Bint Jbeil). The objective is toimplement development projectsvalued at 300,000 euro for eachtown or grouping of towns.

In addition, the process of defray-ing the grants for Mihsmish andAitaroun have been initiated aftersigning the two grant agreementsto build an agricultural bridge inMismish and to procure the vehi-cles for Aitaroun


social and economic development · social and economic development cdr has taken a significant step...

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