Lebanon's experience of compounding crises over the past several years points to the nexus of fragility and disaster. The country has recently experienced one of the worst financial and economic crises in human history. The crisis derives from a set of structural causes of fragility: a combination of chronic macroeconomic imbalances and political inaction stemming from political polarization and decision-making paralysis. Lebanon's economic model has failed to generate economic opportunities, leading to high levels of inequality and poverty. The privatization of services and their patronage-based access, coupled with the capture and mismanagement of public funds intended for infrastructure, have led to a decline in the quality of virtually all public services, including a near collapse in electricity provision. The international community's response after this humanitarian disaster was an innovative institutional platform, the Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Framework (3RF), aiming to facilitate recovery and reconstruction in the aftermath of the disaster while reactivating reforms to address the drivers of fragility in the country. Organized by the European Union (EU), the United Nations (UN), and the World Bank in December 2020, the 3RF not only provided a prioritized comprehensive plan across various sectors to support Beirut's recovery and reconstruction but also included a second track to advance critical reforms to address governance challenges in Lebanon. The 3RF is a unique governance platform, backed by a fund-pooling facility (the Lebanon Financing Facility, or LFF), which links the unlocking of investments in Lebanon with the reform results so that nonhumanitarian assistance received through national institutions is conditional on the implementation of reform. While the people-centered recovery response concluded in June 2022, the 3RF continues on Track 2, which focuses on inclusive policy dialogue, the implementation of reforms, and the reconstruction of critical services and infrastructure.
Authors
- Disclosure Date
- 2024/06/18
- Disclosure Status
- Disclosed
- Doc Name
- Lessons from Disaster Governance : Port of Beirut Explosion Reform Recovery and Reconstruction Framework
- Product Line
- Advisory Services & Analytics
- Published in
- United States of America
- Rel Proj ID
- The Global Program On The Disaster - Fragility, Conflict, And V -- P176958
- Sector
- Other Public Administration
- TF No/Name
- TF0B9314-Global Program on the Disaster Conflict Nexus
- Theme
- Forced Displacement,Disaster Preparedness,Disaster Response and Recovery,Social Development and Protection,Conflict Prevention,Environment and Natural Resource Management,Fragility, Conflict and Violence,Climate change,Urban and Rural Development,Adaptation,Disaster Risk Management
- Unit Owning
- Disaster Climate Risk Management (GFDRR)
- Version Type
- Final
- Volume No
- 1
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments 6
- Abbreviations and Acronyms 7
- Executive Summary 9
- Purpose 9
- Key takeaways from the 3RF 10
- Key challenges 11
- Table ES.2. Key Lessons and Recommendations 12
- Introduction 14
- 1.1 Objective of this study 15
- 1.2 Methodology 15
- 1.3 Outline of this study 16
- 2. Country Context 18
- 2.1 Socioeconomic conditions 18
- 2.2 The explosion 19
- 2.3 Disaster risk management 20
- 2.4 Failed reforms 20
- 3. The Lebanon Reform Recovery and Reconstruction Framework 22
- 3.1 Background and goals 22
- 3.2 The design of the 3RF 23
- 3.3 Key interim results 24
- Figure 3.1 A Snapshot of the 3RF 24
- Lebanon Financial Facility (LFF) 24
- 4. Priorities, Challenges, and Lessons 25
- 4.1 Strategic decision-making 25
- 4.1.1 Coordination of the principal organizations 26
- 4.1.2 Multiple aid coordination mechanisms in Lebanon 26
- 4.1.3 Key lessons and recommendations: Strategic level 26
- 4.2 Working-level progress 27
- 4.2.1 Challenges at the working level 27
- 4.2.2 Organizing the Working Groups 27
- 4.2.3 Communications 28
- 4.2.4 Key lessons and recommendations: Working level 28
- 4.3 Engagement with the Lebanese state 29
- 4.3.1 Window of opportunity for engagement 29
- 4.3.2 Challenges in state engagement 29
- 4.3.3 Lessons and recommendations: Engagement with the Lebanese state 30
- 4.4 Engagement with Lebanese civil society 30
- 4.4.1 The whole-of-Lebanon approach 30
- 4.4.2 Challenges of CSO engagement 31
- 4.4.3 Lessons and recommendations: Engagement with Lebanese civil society 31
- 4.5 Funding 32
- 4.5.1 Key lessons and recommendations: Funding 32
- 4.6 Monitoring reform results 33
- 4.6.1 Key lessons: Monitoring results 33
- Summary 35
- Appendixes 36
- Appendix A. Institutional Setup of the 3RF 37
- Table A.1. Civil Society Organizations in the Consultative Group 38
- Figure A.1. 3RF Institutional Arrangements 39
- Table A.2. 3RF Timeline 40
- Appendix B. 41
- Appendix C. Investment Projects Developed under the 3RF 43
- Appendix D. Summary of the Working Groups SWOT Analysis 46
- Appendix E. Table of Operational Lessons 47
- endnotes 48
- References 50
