Empowering local authorities: Resources for enhancing municipal strategic capabilities in Lebanon

This directory serves as a vital resource hub, offering a collection of publications, tools, and guides developed by UN-Habitat and its partners to support municipalities and Unions of Municipalities (UoMs) throughout Lebanon. The resources presented here are specifically curated to aid local authorities in strengthening their long-term resilience and enhancing their strategic capabilities across key areas such as governance, planning, service delivery, and local economic development.

The core objective of these resources is to empower UoMs and municipalities with the necessary knowledge, data, and tools to make effective decisions, improve their processes, procedures, and practices, deliver effective and efficient services transparently and accountably, facilitate local economic development, and address the diverse needs of both host and refugee populations. They cover a range of topics from fundamental planning principles and governance structures to technical applications like GIS, and detailed analyses of economic conditions and challenges.

By utilizing these resources, local authorities can build a robust understanding of their context, potential, and challenges, fostering improved local governance and strategic planning that contributes to the sustainable development and enhanced quality of life for communities across Lebanon.

Available Resources:

Below you will find links and descriptions of key publications and materials designed to support municipalities and Unions of Municipalities in Lebanon:

  • Training guidebook on local strategic planning: This guidebook is part of a project implemented by UN-Habitat in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities/Directorate General of Administrations and Local Councils, funded by the Italian Government. It contributes to developing a national municipal capacity development plan that includes training curricula on financial, administrative, technical aspects, and local planning.

     

  • Building the capacity of municipalities and unions of municipalities: This manual is designed for personnel from municipalities and Unions of Municipalities who may have limited experience with GIS. It provides a detailed overview of GIS science and its components, specifically focusing on its use in these organizations. The manual includes a needs assessment of surveyed municipalities and UoMs and strategies to address identified challenges. Its objective is to empower users with the knowledge and skills to implement essential GIS tools, functions, and applications outlined in an accompanying GIS Toolkit document. GIS is considered important in strategy development and governance.

     

  • Rethinking central government policymaking for local economic development – National recommendations to revitalize local economies in Lebanon: Developed under the Municipal Empowerment and Resilience Project (MERP), this paper recommends measures that could be advocated for and supported at the central government level to create an environment conducive to local economic development.

     

  • Unions of municipalities as enablers of local economic development – Assessment reports: These reports were produced under the MERP project, a joint initiative by UN-Habitat and UNDP funded by the European Union. They provide in-depth local economic development assessments for specific Unions of Municipalities. Commissioned by UN-Habitat and UNDP to United Cities of Lebanon, these assessments aim to support UoMs and member municipalities in building a robust understanding and knowledge of their local economic development potential and needs. The reports cover various key factors including territorial planning, human capital, market activity, and governance, investigating main weaknesses and obstacles for local development. Assessments were conducted for the Unions of Municipalities of Al-Fayhaa, Matn, and Tyre. The report for the Union of Tyre Municipalities, for example, presents findings on territorial planning, human and social capital, market activity, and governance within the Tyre UoM region.

     

  • Road maps towards a socioeconomic development plan for 10 unions of municipalities: As part of UN-Habitat's initiative "Improving Planning Capacities for Social and Economic Local Development", a series of booklets were developed. These booklets assess the current conditions of 10 municipal unions and, based on these assessments, create context-specific roadmaps. The booklets compile data and analyses of needs, gaps, and challenges identified through a participatory approach. They offer recommendations that can serve as a foundation for strategic socioeconomic development within their respective areas. Roadmaps are available for the Unions of Municipalities of Joumeh, Jezzine, Chamal Baalbek, Chouf El-Souayjani, Jord El-Qaytaa, Caza Zgharta, Iqlim El-Tuffah, Qalaat El-Istiqlal, Jord El-Aala–Bhamdoun, and Iqlim El-Kharroub El-Chamali.

     

  • Municipal finance assessments policy advocacy report: This report presents insights from in-depth municipal finance assessments conducted for nine municipalities and two UoMs (Tyre Union and Urban Community of Al Fayhaa) within the MERP geographical focus area. The Municipal Finance Assessment reviewed local institutional behavior and performance and can be used by municipalities as a management tool for performance improvement. The report includes recommendations for the assessed municipal institutions regarding institutional framework, information technology, socio-economic aspects, and finance, as well as general recommendations for municipalities across Lebanon, and policy recommendations for DGLAC/MOIM and development partners. The assessment methodology includes components on institutional framework, information technology assessment, socio-economic assessment, and finance assessment.