In 2015, the UNESCWA published a report titled “The Sustainable Development Framework in Lebanon: A National Assessment” in which it collated and synthesized sectoral policies and strategy documents issued by different ministries to determine 6 major goals:
- Achieve employment generating economic growth (8)
- Build institutional and administrative capacities and improve governance (16)
- Improve social protection systems for all groups and address inequalities (10)
- Achieve energy security (7)
- Develop infrastructure and sustainable cities (9 and 11)
- Protect natural habitats and biodiversity (15)
The issues highly relevant to Lebanon and its residents include equality, economic growth, governance, and the environment. I will provide a summary of how each goal relates to Lebanon based on the UN report on the same.
Goal 1: No Poverty
- 27% of Lebanese are considered poor, sending less than $270 per month
- Lebanon’s most important resource is its people and reducing poverty can help maximize its human capital.
Goal 2: Zero Hunger
- Lebanon doesn’t have a food availability problem but it has issues with accessibility.
- About 11% of Lebanese, 93% of Syrian refugees, 62% of Palestine refugees in Lebanon, and 94% of Palestine refugees from Syria cannot meet their basic food needs.
Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being
- 51.7% of Lebanese are not covered by any form of health insurance.
- 23% of Syrian refugees could not obtain the hospital care they needed in 2015 due to costs.
- About one third of all Palestine refugees in Lebanon have a chronic medical condition.
Goal 4: Quality Education
- About 50,000 Lebanese children were still out of school in the 2015-2016 despite an increase of 249,000 new enrolment in public education.
Goal 5: Gender Equality
- In the 2016 municipal elections about 100 more women were elected than in the 2010 municipal elections, while women still only represent 5.5% of the municipal council seats.
- Only 23.5% of women are part of the labour market, whereas the proportion of men is 70.3%.
- Only 3 percent of national parliamentary seats are held by women.
Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
- The population experiences frequent water shortages and, in many places, the water is not safe to drink. While Lebanon has relatively well established water and wastewater networks, only a small portion of the water and wastewater is treated and managed safely.
- Up to 70% of natural water sources in Lebanon are bacterially contaminated.
Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- In Lebanon up to 4.5% of electricity comes from hydropower and up to 95.5% from oil.
- In 2012 Electricité du Liban (EDL) only met 63% of the demand for electricity in Lebanon.
- 53% of Lebanon’s total greenhouse gas emissions were from the energy sector in 2012.
Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- It is estimated that in Lebanon youth unemployment is 21.6%.
- Even in previous periods of growth, the economy was unable to generate sufficient jobs, leading to high unemployment rates, especially of women and youth, as well as high emigration of educated youth out of Lebanon.
Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- The information and communication technology sector in Lebanon is expected to grow 7.24% annually in the 2015-2018 period.
- Manufacturing exports decreased by almost 30% from 2012 to 2015.
- Lebanon has a reputation for vibrant entrepreneurship and has done a lot to improve the conditions for small businesses to grow.
Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
- Lebanon faces a wide range of inequalities including income, consumption and social, particularly between Beirut and rural areas.
- Geographical disparities are further exacerbated due to the manner of allocating funding directly to municipalities, particularly affecting municipalities in rural areas.
- The richest 20% in Lebanon account for 40% of all consumption, five times more than the poorest 20%.
- Lebanon does not have a civil code guaranteeing equal treatment for all in personal status matters such as marriage, custody and inheritance, but rather has 15 separate personal status laws that are linked to religious sects.
Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Around 90% of the population in Lebanon live in urban areas and about 30% live in the Beirut metropolitan area alone.
- The majority of Syrian refugees live in urban areas, often in high density poor neighbourhoods and sometimes in vulnerable conditions.
- 63% of Palestine refugees in Lebanon and 55% of Palestine refugees from Syria live inside camps, most of which are located in urban areas.
Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- In 2010, 17% of household solid waste was recycled while 83% was sent to landfills or open dumps, including potentially hazardous forms of waste.
- Since 2000, Lebanon has implemented environmental legislation requiring industries to minimize their pollution. However, environmental governance at municipal level and national level regulation and enforcement needs to be further strengthened for better recycling and waste management.
Goal 13: Climate Action
- Lebanon increased its greenhouse gas emissions, gases that are harmful to the environment and contribute to climate change, by nearly 5% annually between 1994 and 2012.
- It is estimated that by 2040 rainfall in Lebanon will have decreased by 10-20%.
- At the current rate, sea levels in Lebanon will rise with up to 60 cm in the next 30 years.
Goal 14: Life Below Water
- With around 240 kilometres of coastline, Lebanon’s coastal zone is a key element of its natural capital, beauty and tourist attractions. However, the lack of protection measures is negatively affecting these ecosystems and the species living in them.
Goal 15: Life On Land
- Lebanon has a very high biodiversity with 0.25 different species per square kilometre—more than in Brazil.
- Growing urbanization is estimated to consume about 5 square kilometres of natural areas every year in Lebanon.
Goal 16: Peace, Justice, Strong Institutions
- In 2015 Lebanon ranked 123rd out of 168 countries and territories on the corruption perception index, placing Lebanon among the bottom 30%.
Goal 17: Partnership for the Goals
- Lebanon has created successful partnerships with a number of countries and regional groups to share and enhance knowledge and to increase exports.
- Lebanon also has a strong business community and a vibrant civil society which can become partners in efforts made towards sustainable development.
- Lebanon does not have a public private partnership (PPP) legal framework even though a law was drafted in 2007.