USAID/OTI Lebanon Field Report
June / July 2000
Program Description
Following his election in November 1998, President Emile Lahoud
launched an anti-corruption initiative, promising to make rule of
law and clean government keystones of his administration. The
President's commitment and strong public support for these efforts
represent a critical opportunity to jump-start anti-corruption
reform in Lebanon. USAID/OTI, in close cooperation with the USAID
Mission in Lebanon, is implementing a four-component initiative to
empower key Lebanese stakeholders -- local government, media, and
civil society -- in their anti-corruption efforts. The four
components include: 1) increasing public awareness of the costs of
corruption through a national media campaign; 2) strengthening
investigative journalism; 3) fostering transparency and
accountability at the municipal government level; and 4) a small
grants mechanism to support anti-corruption efforts by indigenous
groups. These activities, valued at approximately US$3 million,
began in May 1999 and will last through August 2001.
Country Situation
The death of Syrian President Hafez-al Assad on June 10 marked a major turning point in Middle East politics.
Assad's successor is his London-educated son, Bashar Assad,
most recently in charge of Lebanon affairs for the Syrian
government. During his tenure overseeing Lebanon, Bashar Assad
granted Lebanon greater freedom in its domestic politics and was an
advocate for anti-corruption activities in both countries. This
opening was a factor in the decision to start USAID's
anti-corruption initiative in Lebanon. While the younger Assad is
expected to move slowly on reforms in Syria until he solidifies his
power base, it is expected that increased political space for
reforms in Lebanon will come more quickly.
Recent statements and moves by the government signal a possible
increase in anti-corruption efforts. In June, President Lahoud met
with the anti-corruption NGO, Kulluna Massoul, and afterwards
declared the need to refocus on anti-corruption efforts following
Israel's withdrawal from Southern Lebanon. An article several
days later hinted at a renewed government effort to prosecute
officials engaged in corruption.
Concurrently, preparations are underway for Parliamentary
elections in late August and early September. Elections are
scheduled over two successive weekends. Early indications are that
the system of patronage, often manifested through activities such as
vote buying, is in full effect.
The urgency for Lebanon to implement transparency and
accountability was again reinforced at a donor's conference for the
reconstruction of Southern Lebanon. Most participants indicated
their unwillingness to funnel resources through government (and
government-affiliated) institutions due to fears over corruption and
mismanagement. At the conference's end, few pledges were made and
the need for greater accountability of the funds was highlighted.
OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
Anti-Corruption Media Campaign:
The Lebanese affiliate of Saatchi and Saatchi has finished the
design for the next phase of the media campaign. This phase will be
implemented over the month of August prior to the elections and
focus on encouraging younger voters (18-30) to become more involved
in anti-corruption activities, including voting. The campaign will
consist of television and radio commercials, press advertisements,
posters, t-shirts, and hats.
Investigative Journalism Training:
The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) submitted a
proposal for a second investigative journalism course in Lebanon
starting around January 2001. Prior to this training, ICFJ will
bring students from the first training course to the U.S. for more
intensive training.
Municipal Government Assistance:
The SUNY/Albany program to assist local municipalities continues
to make progress. Based on workplans with each municipality, their
status is listed below.
|
Beirut |
23 |
9 |
6 |
|
Jounieh |
30 |
14 |
4 |
Highlighted activities for this period include:
- Implementing a citizens' complaint
system in Jounieh.
- Migrating tax and revenue information
to computers from ledger books.
- Hosting a workshop with the Beirut
governor, municipal council, and several municipal employees to
discuss ways to further expedite municipal transactions.
- Developing the payroll system for
Beirut municipality.
- Training municipal employees on new computer
systems.
Small Grants Program:
A request for application for the small grants program was
advertised and proposals have been received. However, due to overall
budget constraints within OTI, funding for this activity has been
postponed until FY2001 funds become available.
B. Financial Summary
As of July 2000, USAID/OTI's Lebanon program has expended
$1,179,055.
C. Indicators of Success
Flexibility/Re-targeting
- Based on results from tracking surveys,
the next phase of the media campaign will focus on younger
voters between 18-30 years old. Tracking polls showed this group
to be the most vocal in complaints against corruption and the
most likely to engage in activities to fight corruption.
- Due to the positive feedback from the first course, plans
are underway for a second investigative journalism course in
Lebanon.
Resource Leveraging
- As part of the municipal government assistance, the Beirut
and Jounieh municipalities are providing workspace and staff to
aid the programs' implementation.
Policy Leveraging
- In June, the anti-corruption NGO,
Kulluna Massoul, met with the President of Lebanon to discuss
anti-corruption efforts in Lebanon.
- The national government is studying SUNY/Albany's
program for possible adoption to all 400+ municipalities in
Lebanon.
D. Program Appraisal
Analysis of the upcoming parliamentary elections seems to
indicate "business as usual" with the winners effectively
known and little to no debate on issues. Voters appear likely to
continue to make decisions on the basis of religion, ethnicity,
family ties, and vote-buying, rather than a candidate's
position on issues. As one editorial put it, "Voters have only
pictures of candidates to make up their minds who to cast their
ballots for." According to the tracking polls, 80% of
respondents consider a candidates' stance on corruption when
voting and 33% feel that voting is an effective tool to fight
corruption (22% believe it ineffective). A final tracking poll
following the elections will attempt to determine to what extent, if
any, the media campaign and other activities influenced voters to
consider corruption issues in their voting.
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