Lebanon

Projects Database / Support to the Structures of the Lebanese Parliament

Project ID
00013378

Background
This project aims at sustaining the efforts of the Lebanese Parliament in setting up the structures, mechanisms and human resources, in order to increase its efficiency in terms of legislation, control and representation. The reformed structures will promote a more favorable environment in good governance as well as facilitate Arab and international parliamentary cooperation beneficial to all parties concerned.

Summary project objectives:
•Objective 1: To strengthen the capacity of the parliamentarians to access the necessary information for the exercise of their legislative functions.
•Objective 2: To improve the capacity of the parliament in the monitoring/control of governmental activities.
•Objective 3: To develop the participation of the civil society in the discussions of laws concerning the issues of interest to society
•Objective 4: To reinforce inter-parliamentary international exchanges.

One of the planned outputs of the project is: capacity building through coordination of technical cooperation and of new partnerships. The aim is to consolidate and build permanent capacities to sustain legislative and oversight functions, which require the project to focus: 1) the transfer skills to permanent staff; 2) assisting in the re-activation of internal structures and department, notably the General Directorate for Studies and Information and; 3) strengthening inter-parliamentarian exchanges and partnerships.

The UNDP Project Manager and the National Coordinator of Parliament jointly identify the targeted capacity building needs of Parliament. The process for developing a plan of action, mobilizing resources and forging partnerships for this end, is pursued through direct UNDP assistance, including the identification of potential donors, funds and/or service providers, and establishing contact with them. This component also takes into consideration links with related UNDP-supported projects and partners.

Outputs in this context aim to allow the transfer of sustainable capacities to Parliament, notably:
•Capacity building - Parliamentary Committees, Parliament staff
•Institution-building – with emphasis on the revitalized Directorate of Information and Studies
•Inter-Parliamentary partnerships, exchanges and linkages


Achievements & Expected Results
• Establishing a national dialogue process
• Capacity Development for parliamentarians and parliamentary committees: elaboration of laws foreseen in the Taef agreement
• Preparation of a national Action plan on Human rights with the parliamentary committee of HR
• Developing access to information capacities and production of communication tools
• Restructuring parliamentary administration
• Linguistic staff training
• Developing cooperation agreement with foreign parliaments (study visits for MPs and staff)

Major Activities for 2006-2007
1. Organizing seminar for reflecting upon the role of parliament as a forum for national dialogue, Feb 2006
2. Publication of a series of studies on:” Political parties”, “Administrative decentralization”, “Parliamentary oversight”, “International conventions ratified by Lebanon”, “National Social security Fund”, “The relation between, parliament , government and civil society”, “Bicamerisme”, “Consociational democracy”, “Parliament and poverty reduction”, Decentralization and local governance”, “The role of media in promoting national dialogue” “Relationship between civil society and parliament”.
3. Publication and dissemination of Lebanese parliament Activities Report 2005 and 2006
4. Publication and dissemination of 11 monthly bulletins and 5 trimestrial bulletins
5. Organizing 4 seminars on local issues
6. Support to the parliamentary committees: Women and child, health and social affairs, interior and municipalities, finance and budget
7. Organizing linguistic training sessions for parliament staff (English and French languages)
8. Organizing study visits to foreign Parliaments (France and Belgium) for parliamentarians
9. Organizing study visits to foreign parliaments targeting parliament staff to the French national assembly and the Belgian assembly
10. Launching of the National Plan for Human rights: organizing a seminar on human rights and publication of 17 sectoral studies
11. Publication of two studies on: “Parliaments and Human rights” and “Human rights in Lebanon”
12. Creation of a Human rights center within the library
13. Supplying library with more than 400 books and reports
14. Supplying the parliament website with studies, researches and annual reports
15. Technical assistance to the parliamentary committees: purchase of PCs, printers and photocopiers
16. Participation in regional seminars (Morocco,Cairo, Geneva, Montreux)

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