Executive summary - support to Lebanese Public Institutions through the LCRP in 2016
Current thinking argues strongly for national and local institutions to feature prominently in any humanitarian response. Efficiency and legitimacy considerations, as well as the tangible benefits such an approach brings to host communities and nations, provide a strong rationale for stabilization-oriented interventions.
Strengthening public institutions has been a key component of the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) which estimates that 3.3 million individuals are in need either from an economic or social perspective. These people are best reached by strengthening existing systems and institutions.
Indeed, the latter have gained critical local expertise as first responders to the crisis, providing innovative solutions to multi-faceted needs.
In 2016, $187.2 million was channeled to or through Lebanese institutions, which represents a slight increase compared to the 2015 figure of $171.5 million. By providing Lebanon’s institutions with crucially needed support, the LCRP has empowered them to enroll over 190,000 Syrian children in public education, construct/rehabilitate 201 km of water networks and provide equipment and trainings to 5,311 Lebanese farmers, to name but a few achievements.
These investments have focused on the poorest regions of the country where the majority of refugees are based.
Furthermore, by placing public institutions at the forefront of efforts to mitigate the impact of the crisis, and emphasizing their strategic role in managing community tensions, Lebanon’s stability and resilience is reinforced. Overall, the technical, operational and financial assistance provided in 2016 to Lebanese public institutions addressed challenges, gaps and priorities not least by supporting 601 additional staff members to these institutions.
The Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) and its extended network of Social Development Centres (SDCs), seconded no less than 198 additional staff at both the central and local levels. This was achieved via an estimated $10.4 million in financial support that was mobilized to strengthen Lebanon’s social system, in addition to $11.4m targeting specifically the implementation of the National Poverty Targeting Programme (NPTP). The additional capacity has enabled MoSA to not only respond to the crisis, but also build towards a future of delivering comprehensive social services.
The support provided to the public education system through the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) enabled 402,172 children, of whom 204,347 were Lebanese, to enroll in formal public education across the country for the 2016 - 2017 school year. Overall $253 million was mobilized to implement MEHE’s Reach All Children with Education (RACE) plan. However, for this report only $73m of that total is included. This funding covered the enrollment fees for school children, salaries of teachers, as well as running, administration and rehabilitation costs of second-shift schools.
To strengthen the public health system, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) received $14.4m in support of hospitals and healthcare centres, with 151 additional staff provided. Overall, 220 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCcs) were supported to better address the needs of the most vulnerable communities. In addition, 26 governmental hospitals were supplied with medical equipment and lifesaving drugs focusing on health emergencies and emergency obstetric care. This support has translated into considerable success. For example, 84% of displaced Syrian households indicated in the 2016 VASyR that they received the primary healthcare services they needed.
At the local level, $73m was invested in 240 Municipalities and Unions to respond to increased pressure on services.
Of this total, $28.5m was directly invested into 265 tangible interventions for 240 Municipalities including construction of public spaces, sports and recreational infrastructures, equipment for local facilities and distribution of garbage bins. A further $35.3m were investments supporting water and waste water infrastructure at the local level as well as the Water Establishments,which enabled 68 wastewater treatment facilities to be rehabilitated/equipped and 79,000 households to access improved water supply services. The remaining $9.2 million was employed to support the capacity development of the Ministry of Energy and Water at the central level, as well as 97 additional staff integrated into Municipalities and Unions.
Food security partners supported the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) in the areas of plant production and pine production management, reforestation, agricultural statistics and information systems. In 2016, partners reached 4,400 farmers affected by the Syrian crisis with livelihoods interventions, 2,000 vulnerable individuals for improved nutritional practices (micro-gardening and food preservation/transformation), 630 youth for enrolment in agricultural technical schools and 280 government staff with capacity building. Overall, $1.8m was provided to prevent the spread of diseases, enhance agricultural production and occupational health and safety as well as to improve the quality of and access to agriculture data.
Through this support, MoA has made important strides in meeting the objective of sustainable food security in Lebanon.
Other major institutions that were supported under the LCRP include the Prime Minister’s Office, Governors’ offices and security forces with a view to enhance disaster risk management and reduction, information management and coordination and the operationalization of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and codes of conduct in crisis response.
This report provides an overview of the results achieved in 2016 by LCRP partners, including the Government of Lebanon, UN Agencies, NGOs and donors to strengthen public institutions.