Immediate concerns surround the Syrian Refugee Crisis and its impact on Lebanon. It has increased poverty, unemployment and put a strain on resources (Country Partnership Strategy 2016, 1).
The World Banks Commitment (2017 – 2022)
“The [Country Partnership Framework] will work through two focus areas as a way to renew the social contract between the state and the citizens: (i) expand access to and quality of service delivery; and (ii) expand economic opportunities and increase human capital. Through these two focus areas, the WBG will help Lebanon mitigate the economic and social impact of the Syria crisis, safeguard the country’s development gains, and enhance the prospects for stability and development in the coming years. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), specifically, will continue to support private sector development in order to increase employment opportunities across key sectors. These objectives are strongly linked to the Resilience and the Renewing the Social Contract pillars of the new WBG MENA strategy and also contribute to the Reconstruction and Recovery pillar”(Country Partnership Strategy 2016, 1).
The report further goes to say:
“While Lebanon faces stark and pressing development challenges, reform efforts to improve the quality of institutions and promote growth have been limited…Missed reform opportunities, are prevalent, especially as in many cases the technical solutions are well known and are clearly visible in the deteriorating infrastructure sector (e.g., the electricity sector), the poor quality of public institutions that are unable to provide satisfactory service levels, a dysfunctional business environment, and an unsustainable macroeconomic environment, among others” (Country Partnership Strategy 2016, 4).
Citations
COUNTRY PARTNERSHIP FRAMEWORK FOR THE LEBANESE REPUBLIC (Rep. No. 94768-LB). (2016, June 8). Retrieved February 19, 2018, from The World Bank Group website: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/24678