USAID/OTI Lebanon Quarterly Report
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October - December 2010 |
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Program Description
USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) launched the Lebanon Civic Initiative in September 2007 to support U.S. foreign policy objectives aimed at promoting peace and stability in Lebanon. The program focuses on youth who are often protagonists in conflict but also offer the most potential as voices of peace and agents of change. Through small grants and short-term technical assistance, OTI works with a wide range of civil society partners, particularly nascent organizations, to foster leadership skills among youth, expand their horizons, and empower them to chart their own course.
Activities
Country Objectives – OTI's overall goal is to empower youth to be active and independent citizens. As part of these efforts, OTI focuses on (1) catalyzing youth activism in marginalized areas; (2) mitigating tensions in conflict-prone areas; and (3) enhancing civil society organizations' capacity to advocate for local or national issues. Geographic focus areas include the north, the Beqaa, and the country's south.
Youth-Led Civic Activism – OTI primary partners are nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), youth groups, and other civil society actors. The program aims to engage at-risk youth in productive activities that expand their horizons, encourage critical thinking, and reduce their vulnerability to political manipulation. Given the lack of structured options for youth in areas outside of Beirut, OTI supports a wide range of activities, including life skills training, community development, cultural and artistic expression, and vocational training.
Conflict Mitigation – The widespread presence of small arms and deep polarization along political and sectarian lines create a climate in which political crises often explode into street violence. OTI partners with voices of peace and moderation at the community level to defuse tensions and bring rival groups together around shared goals.
Civic Advocacy – Historical context and intractable sectarian politics have limited successful advocacy efforts from what is otherwise a robust and developed civil society community. OTI works primarily with community organizations that advocate for change on the local level, given that local government structures are more accessible and less constrained by sectarian conflict. (Program activities in this component are scheduled to run through January 2013.)
Country Situation
Continued Tension around STL – Political and social tensions continued to build during the quarter, as the country anticipated the release of indictments by the U.N. Special Tribunal on Lebanon (STL). Rumors suggest that the STL will implicate members of Hezbollah for the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister. Observers fear indictments will further strain relations between political and sectarian groups in Lebanon as well as with some of the country's neighbors.
Hezbollah and its supporters continued their efforts to undermine government acceptance of STL rulings. Hezbollah has accused Israel of both assassinating Hariri and fabricating evidence implicating its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who has said the group will not allow the arrest of any of its members under STL indictments. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Saad Hariri's ruling government coalition continues to support the investigation. Although the tension has not led to sectarian clashes, two STL investigators and their interpreter were violently attacked in southern Beirut.
International actors have taken sides in the debate. The United States, France, and Saudi Arabia continue to express public support for the STL, while Syria, and Iran to a lesser extent, has sided with Hezbollah. In October, Syria issued arrest warrants for 33 people accused of providing false testimony to the STL. The warrants name judges, security officers, politicians, journalists, and other officials, many of whom are closely connected to Saad Hariri's governing coalition.
National Government Paralysis – All hope that a reform agenda could be adopted following the summer's municipal elections has dissipated. The legislature has been sidetracked by arguments over the STL, specifically on how to address suspected false testimony from witnesses. A Cabinet-requested report by the Minister of Justice, intended to provide a solution on how Lebanon should investigate accusations of false testimony, has only further divided the March 14 and March 8 coalitions. The report rejected the March 8 coalition's demands that the Judicial Council—Lebanon's highest judicial body—look into the issue, arguing that it does not have the authority.
Ministers in the opposition have not attended a Cabinet meeting since the report was released in early October, bringing all legislative and administrative procedures to a halt. As nearly all government actions require Cabinet approval, the ongoing paralysis has delayed action on issues large and small, from the national budget to efforts to hire ministerial staff. The breakdown in communication between political leaders is reminiscent of the 18-month political standoff in 2007-08 that led to sectarian clashes.
Reminders of International Patronage – High-profile state visits and attempts to broker an end to the stalemate in Lebanon made headlines in the region. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made his first trip to Lebanon in October, using the official visit as a stepping stone to attend several high-profile Hezbollah-organized events in the southern suburbs of Beirut and in southern Lebanon. In November, leaders in Saudi Arabia and Syria held a series of discussions focused on Lebanon's political crisis. Prime Minister Hariri spent significant amounts of time this quarter pursuing international support, visiting Europe, Saudi Arabia and, most notably, Iran, where he met with both President Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in November.
Upcoming Events
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Release of indictments by the U.N. Special Tribune for Lebanon |
Grants Summary
Since September 2007, OTI, through its implementing partner Chemonics International, has funded 189 small grants totaling $16,207,239. The funding by region is shown in the table below.
| Beirut Only |
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- |
8 |
$433,147 |
| Beqaa Only |
2 |
$82,583 |
39 |
$3,112,832 |
| Civic Advocacy (Mission Funds) |
4 |
$570,825 |
8 |
$944,374 |
| Cross Regional |
4 |
$354,385 |
51 |
$4,468,668 |
| North Only |
5 |
$627,889 |
50 |
$4,512,467 |
| South Only |
4 |
$500,957 |
33 |
$2,735,751 |
| Total |
19 |
$2,136,638 |
189 |
$16,207,239 |
Highlights
Independence Day as Unifying Theme – OTI partners in the north, south, and the Beqaa celebrated Lebanon's 67th year of independence with a series of important public activities to promote patriotism, national unity, and youth activism. In Lebanon, Independence Day is one of the few national, secular public holidays. Its celebration is frequently seen as a barometer of confessional (or political party) tensions.
In the Beqaa, five youth-focused nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) coordinated events intended to promote a sense of unity and cooperation in spite of rising tensions across the country. Youths from the NGOs organized an independence fair dedicated to the children of army parents killed in combat. The children joined the youths from the NGO in sports and music activities in the main public park in Baalbeck so that all who passed by could witness the event. In addition, young people in five Beqaa villages painted a famous image depicting the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, an image that can be controversial in areas of the country where foreign patronage supports various actors. Partners in the north held public foot races for young people and, in conjunction with a popular Tripoli-based hip hop artist, produced a music video about independence and youth roles in bringing about positive change (www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mPqIuG5BdA). Furthermore, young people in the south handed out Lebanese flags.
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| Youth Movement activists protest environmentally harmful solid waste disposal practices.
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Youth Increasingly Interact with Elected Leaders – Despite national level paralysis and Parliament's inability to pass any notable national reform legislation, Lebanese youth increased their capacity to engage with and influence local and national leaders. Historically, the youth of Lebanon have been excluded as credible community actors, although they have been used as tools by political parties to hang posters, populate rallies, or fight wars. OTI is working with youth-focused NGOs to build young people's credibility as advocates of change.
A group of youth leaders in Toura organized a public forum at the southern city's municipal offices. The participants questioned six municipal council members on the government's position on environmental issues and how the members plan to make Toura a cleaner and more environmentally responsible city. According to parents and municipal council members, it was the first time local youths had been given an opportunity to directly question elected officials.
The Independent League of Activists (IndyAct) worked to raise awareness and advocate for a concept of zero waste. The group coordinated action against a proposed law to allow the nationwide use of incinerators, a known producer of dioxins and other cancer-causing pollutants. Young IndyAct activists toured the country with the message, and the tour culminated with a National Day of Action on December 19, when more than 175 youth groups organized events promoting zero waste. The municipality of Tripoli, the second largest city in Lebanon, voted to adopt the zero waste principle and investigate ways to achieve it. In response to the wide-ranging youth-led action, the Ministry of the Environment, for the first time, acknowledged that there may be ways to address Lebanon's solid waste issues that preclude incineration.
Creating Sustainable Networks and Materials for Civil Society Advocacy – OTI's civic advocacy efforts have focused on building sustainable civil society capacity. The program is supporting the production of new standardized materials and methods that will help individuals and groups become advocates for change.
OTI has established an Advocacy Trainers Network in the program's target regions. The network comprises a cadre of qualified local trainers who use a unique advocacy curriculum written in Lebanon for an Arab audience and have been equipped with standardized presentations, case studies, and other tools to ensure program partners receive the highest-quality advocacy training available. The network will facilitate regular sharing of lessons learned and provide a ready forum for visiting lecturers.
OTI also produced training materials and provided enhanced technical support to aid local partners in their efforts to become credible, viable advocates. One publication—a series of case studies detailing successful advocacy campaigns—seeks to help new partners interested in advocacy learn from recent projects. A second publication, a manual on media relations, draws on local experience and international best practices. The manual provides a basic "how to" on reaching out to media outlets in Lebanon and covers topics such as giving a good interview, writing a press release, and devising appropriate messaging techniques.
OTI's enhanced technical support efforts focused on using media as a tool for successful advocacy. Activities included providing on-camera interview training prior to television interviews. A local partner said, "I thought that the interviews I did [previously] were good because I was able to answer all questions. Now I realize I answered the questions but did not deliver my message." In addition, technical support activities are helping local partners create information leaflets that introduce their NGOs to the broader community. With this support, IndyAct posted a newly designed leaflet on its blog. The new material clearly outlined the organization's goals and objectives and helped attract other youth-focused groups to its National Day of Action.
Program Appraisal
OTI has successfully integrated the civic advocacy component into its overall program of providing assistance to nascent youth organizations while continuing to be responsive to rapidly changing local needs. As program partners have taken on increasingly complex and sophisticated advocacy initiatives, requests for technical assistance have increased. OTI has responded to these requests through a series of new grants. These grants are—
- providing ongoing social media support to key partners;
- creating a network of qualified trainers and coaches in advocacy and social media as a tool for activism; and
- producing an easy-to-use manual for citizen journalists and bloggers as well as standardized curricula in the areas of civic education, leadership, and conflict resolution.
Next Steps
OTI priorities for the next quarter include the following:
- Roll out the program's new standardized curricula and tools for effective media relations to all partners;
- Implement a newly designed index to measure changes in capacity of OTI partners to advocate; and
- Respond to opportunities to address the increased sectarian tension around the STL.
For further information, please contact:
Marialice Ariens, Program Manager, 202-712-4031, mariens@usaid.gov
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