The ability to attract donations and sponsors is a vital factor in an organization’s survival and is generally regarded as a full-time commitment in the nonprofit sector. Lebanese nonprofit organizations (NPOs) succeed in this endeavor only when they understand their audience and can engage them creatively—despite the many challenges. The NPO management that Executive spoke…
The fate of Syrian refugees in Lebanon
Recent news reports have surfaced on a possible United States-Russia deal to arrange for the return of refugees to Syria—reports that coincided both with the announcement that thousands of Syrians have died in regime prisons, and with one of the worst massacres in the conflict, perpetrated by ISIS in the city of Swaida. The US-Russia…
Lebanon’s second licensing round
Preparations for the launching of Lebanon’s second offshore oil and gas licensing round have begun. The regulator, the Lebanese Petroleum Administration (LPA), has published a tentative timeline for the tender, which will be officially launched at the end of 2018. The process, including the pre-qualification phase, will extend over a period of one year. The…
The perils of sending refugees back to Syria
As the Syrian government retakes territories across the country and active conflict narrows to smaller areas, questions about how and when refugees will return to Syria are on many people’s minds. The questions are spurred in no small part by the eagerness of Syria’s neighbors, including Lebanon, to see these refugees leave. On July 26,…
The Brussels II conference
Despite the government’s substantial commitments to improve the refugee situation in Lebanon, shortfalls such as continued gaps in funding and the lack of concrete commitments on resettlement, livelihood, and the accountability of funds still persist. These gaps were reflected in the outcomes of the Brussels II Conference on “Supporting the future of Syria and the…
A look into Lebanon’s healthcare
Health encapsulates economic activity that amounts to trillions of dollars by the—in this context crude—methodology of collating production of goods and services as gross domestic product (GDP). The Global Health Observatory of the World Health Organization (WHO) puts the world’s expenditure on health at $7.2 trillion (2015 estimate), or 10 percent of the world’s GDP.…
High oil prices and a weak dollar hurt the Lebanese
It is August in Lebanon, which means stifling heat during the day, and humidity that hugs the skin late into the evening like a hot, wet blanket. Traffic jams choking major roads and garbage washing ashore make beating the heat at the beach less appealing, and, adding to the woe, a seaside lunch is becoming…
Iran showdown threatens Lebanon’s economy
It is common knowledge that Lebanon is in an economic rut. The six-year war in neighboring Syria has negatively impacted the local economy, just as domestic politics, particularly the two and a half year presidential void, eroded confidence and piled on pressure. While government formation following May parliamentary elections has carried on through the summer,…
Efforts to legally monetize Lebanon’s cannabis
If you ask the farmers of the Bekaa Valley, they will explain that cannabis cultivation in Lebanon predates the establishment of Lebanon’s republic by generations. Located some 30 kilometers east of the capital Beirut and nestled between the western Mount Lebanon range and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains to the east, the Bekaa Valley has for a…
Lebanon’s bid toward low-carbon mobility
With a global move underway to green the transport sector—in particular, to reduce the impact of privately-owned vehicles—analysts predict that the end of the age of the internal combustion engine is just down the road. The primary catalyst for this move toward greener options can be attributed to the Paris Agreement—a treaty struck among the…