Executive Summary

The National Anti-Corruption Strategy is the first document of its kind in the history of the Lebanese Republic. It expresses an unprecedented political will and an urgent community based desire to insulate the country from the risks of corruption, and support efforts aiming at devising sustainable solutions. Effective solutions will address the massive economic and financial challenges which have accumulated in recent years and reform the structural distortions in governance, with a view to putting the country on the path to equitable and comprehensive development.

Further, the Strategy seeks to reflect the reforms the Lebanese government has committed to achieving in regards to its citizens and international partners, as well as the government’s commitment to respond to the people’s repeated calls for change and other legitimate demands regarding corruption expressed in the uprising of October 17, 2019. Moreover, the Strategy is aligned with the 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development and with Lebanon’s commitments to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and other regional and international treaties and conventions.

The Strategy was developed through a cumulative process led by the Ministerial AntiCorruption Committee and its supporting technical committee, both established in December 2011. It was developed in consultation with ministers, members of parliament, judges, public sector officials, and representatives of the civil society and private sector, and it draws on the expertise, comparative experiences, and technical support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The process of drafting the Strategy began in February 2016, based on reports and recommendations elaborated during a preparatory phase, and ended with the approval of the Council of Ministers. With this new, specialized public policy regarding corruption that expresses national priorities and needs, aligns with the Lebanon’s regional and global commitments, and constitutes a starting point for serious anti-corruption activities, Lebanon can now join the list of countries where fighting corruption is of official priority. The concrete results stemming from this strong foundation will complete the process of building a modern state, strengthen civil peace, and provide a decent quality of life for all Lebanese citizens.

This document provides a realistic, practical, and measurable national roadmap for the period between 2020 and 2025. It begins with an objective interpretation of the reality of corruption in Lebanon, as well as the efforts to fight it. Next, it defines an ambitious vision and a clear mission through which it seeks to achieve three major objectives: enhancing transparency, activating accountability, and ending impunity. The strategy translates these objectives into seven targeted Outcomes, measurable by scientific indicators and divided into 34 Outputs. For each Output, concrete areas of work, specific timelines, and key responsible parties are assigned in a bid to ensure the greatest possible effectiveness. Each of these parties is responsible for developing and submitting annual action plans and required budgets within the framework of a unified and coordinated mechanism at the national level to follow up on the implementation of the National Strategy.

The first targeted Outcome is the completion and activation of specialized anti-corruption legislation that serve as the backbone of any effective anti-corruption system. The second and third Outcomes involve public function and public procurement, two cornerstones of the public sector, and crucial points at which the public sector relates to the private sector and the general public. The Outcomes aim to reduce the extent to which public function and public procurement is exposed to corruption, and enhance their overall integrity. The focus then shifts to the judicial and oversight systems in the fourth and fifth Outcomes, in light of their role in ensuring proper implementation of laws and regulations – in particular, anti-corruption laws and regulations. The sixth Outcome is to engage all components of Lebanese society in fostering a culture of integrity. The seventh and final Outcome allows for the institutionalized integration of the corruption prevention approach, first among specific sectors, and gradually down to all sectors. This will make possible solutions that are adapted to the specificity of corruption and the requirements for fighting it in each sector. This will also boost the possibility for concrete successes felt by citizens, workers in these sectors, and the general public. The seventh Outcome will be in parallel and complementary to the aforementioned six Outcomes.

The Outcomes won’t be achieved without appropriate implementation over the next five years. This document concludes by reviewing the factors needed for success, including a national mechanism to follow up on the execution of the Strategy in accordance with best practices established by comparative experiences, but tailored to the Lebanese context.