No growth without reform

ENAR

Within a period of six weeks last spring, Lebanon received an attentive treatment from the international community. On March 15 in Rome, an international meeting was held to support Lebanon’s armed and security forces. Afterwards in Paris on April 6, world leaders convened to offer Lebanon substantial foreign aid to bolster its economy at the CEDRE conference. Then on April 24-25, the international community reiterated its support for Lebanon’s efforts in hosting more than 1 million Syrian refugees at the Brussels II conference on “Supporting the future of Syria and the region.” These three occasions signal the world’s commitment to maintain Lebanon’s stability, but also signify the weak state of the country’s security and economy. Lebanon’s economy has experienced a slowdown since 2011due to the eruption of crises in Syria and the region, and a resultant domestic political deadlock. Real economic growth has been subdued for the past six years