National Social Protection Strategy for Lebanon

Towards a Rights-Based, Shock Responsive and Sustainable System

I am deeply proud to announce that the National #SocialProtection Strategy for #Lebanon has been adopted and published by the Council of Ministers. Drafting every word involved immense effort, sleepless nights, and extensive negotiations.

This strategy represents a significant milestone towards establishing a #universal, #rights-based, and #sustainable social protection system in Lebanon. It advocates for an integrated and systemic approach to social protection, proposing a structural transformation of the current system with a vision of "a society in which all its members enjoy a decent life, supported by a system that adopts a human rights approach to providing equitable, comprehensive, and sustainable social protection throughout people’s lifecycle." It further delineates governance and accountability mechanisms essential for its implementation.

It is articulated in its rationale that "To break out of the current cycle, Lebanon needs to develop a new #socialcontract between citizens and the State that reasserts social protection as a human right as well as a social pact between the State and social partners that defines the responsibilities of each actor in relation to the fulfilment of this objective."

The journey began in February 2019, and we submitted the final version of the strategy in April 2023. During these four years, we collaborated with three different councils of ministers and ministers of social affairs, overcoming the economic collapse, currency devaluation, and inflation, the loss of people's savings, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the devastating Beirut port explosion. Despite these hurdles, we remained determined, driven to engage all stakeholders, build consensus, and develop the strategy.

The development process engaged over 14 governmental agencies, 60 public servants, 100 non-governmental stakeholders, 20 experts, and 15 international agencies. We mapped and analyzed over 60 social programs, organized countless meetings, sessions, and workshops, and published four policy briefs in support of key stakeholder groups.

I recognize the skepticism about the political will for its implementation, especially as it proposes significant changes to the country's social system and aims to dismantle the clientelistic networks substituting for state-provided social services. Yet, the survival of any nation lies in its people's hope. At the very least, the strategy serves as a reference document that stakeholders can use as a roadmap for social change now and in the future.

Some may rightfully criticize certain initiatives that may not be ideal solutions. This presented an eternal dilemma between proposing ideal or pragmatic solutions. The strategy strives to balance both and can always be adapted in the future, as we all know, no strategy is everlasting.

There are plenty of lessons to be drawn from this experience, related to policymaking in a fragile context like Lebanon, reforming social protection systems, public sector strategy development methodologies, and stakeholder consensus-building processes, among many other topics. On a personal and interpersonal level, the journey has been equally enlightening. Hopefully, my colleagues and I will be sharing these lessons more broadly and hope to publish our reflections and findings in the future.

My heartfelt gratitude goes out to Beyond Group team, who, despite their own families' losses of social protection, health access, and savings, stayed committed to the cause. The exceptional dedication of Lara Feghaly and Nabil Hassan has been instrumental. My thanks also extend to the 联合国儿童基金会 UNICEF Lebanon and the International Labour Organization teams Sarah Hague Yasmine Ibrahim Luca Pellerano Rania Eghnatios for their technical support and patience, to the European Union and the Government of the Netherlands for funding it, and to all governmental and non-governmental contributors who played a pivotal role in this process.

The Social Protection Strategy is not just a policy document—it could serve as a national roadmap towards social justice, inclusion, and the upholding of human rights in a country that desperately needs it.

The strategy is available for download on this link at the Prime Minister's Office website.