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 The Government of Lebanon, with support from the UN System, made significant progress in recent years in establishing baseline data and examining the profile and characteristics of poverty. IN 1997, the Central Administration of Statistics undertook a household living conditions and an income and expenditure survey of greater Beirut. The UNDP-supported Mapping of Living Conditions revealed that income shortage and low satisfaction of basic needs, such as education and health, are important determinants of poverty in the country. To investigate this subject, the World Bank undertook in 1998 an initial review of public expenditures for social services, which confirmed that large amounts were spent on health and education, both in absolute and relative terms. The targeting and type of expenditures and their effectiveness and efficiency were queried, however. A subsequent initiative of the UN System, supported by UNDP and UNICEF, specifically focused on basic social services spending and alternative options to present programmes. The 20:20 Initiative aims to ensure that the needs for basic health, basic education, literacy, social services, basic solid waste and wastewater infrastructure and facilities do get in priority the necessary resource allocations from both the national budget and donors. Analysis revealed that this has not been the case and that there is considerable scope for remedial action. In 1998, public expenditures on basic health and basic education represented 6.2 percent of total, of which 5.5 percent for basic health and 0.7 percent for basic health (and 2.6 percent of GDP). It is estimated that disbursements made by donors for basic social services represented only a few percentage points of total in recent years.
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Lebanon
