As part of a series of webinars on Administrative Decentralization, the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) organized the 2nd webinar on the theme of “Economic Development”.

This event took place on Thursday, July 8, 2021, at 6:30 p.m., via Microsoft Teams.

Speakers:
- Dr. Andre Sleiman
Governance and Public Policy practitioner, DRI Country Representative in Lebanon
- Dr. Khalil Gebara
Economics Professor at LAU and Senior Advisor to the Crisis Observatory at AUB
- Mr. Juan Hobeich
President of the Federation of Municipalities of Keserwan-Ftouh, Mayor of Jounieh

Moderator:
Journalist Dany Haddad


Background:
The principle of expanded administrative decentralization represents a constitutional foundation that was adopted in the “Taif Agreement”, which considered the implementation of expanded administrative decentralization as one of the major reforms, supporting hence the University’s aim to raise this project.

Today, more than two decades after the adoption of the “National Reconciliation Accord” known as the Taif Agreement, the administrative decentralization project remains ink on paper despite the promises of successive governments and all the proposals and draft laws that were submitted in this regard.

Since 2016, USEK has formed a special committee of experts, specialists and jurists that has worked on preparing a special project for administrative decentralization in Lebanon. This Committee aims, through the organization of a series of virtual meetings, to spread awareness about decentralization and to find some answers to technical and legal questions.