LOST Linking International Donations to Local Needs in Baalbeck-Hermel

Tuesday, May 17, 2016 the Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training (LOST) organized a unique forum in Baalbeck-Hermel borough, entitled “The Impact of Humanitarian Programs on Local Community.” The event that was attended by Ambassadors, INGOs’ top leaders, local NGOs, the governor of Baalbeck-Hermel, representatives of security forces, and many others of local activists was an opportunity to discuss the international response to the refugee crisis and the potential ways to shape it according to the genuine needs and based on developmental approaches rather than urgent assistance programs.
The founder of LOST, Dr. Ramy Lakkis, called the donor community on reconsidering their strategies toward the local organizations from mere executives to strategic partners who are part of program designing. He added, “Productive economic sectors, namely agriculture and tourism, need to be added to the agenda of the coming international aid programs.” He addressed the donors, “It’s only our community’s immovability that paves the way for your programs to succeed.” So, “The refugees and the host communities have to be equally paid attention with the arching goals of capacity building, lessening tensions, and peace building.” He also suggested the newly elected municipalities to be trained and capacitated to be able to respond to the community’s needs which are dramatically increasing in result of the refugee influx.
In his turn, Philippe Lazzarini, Deputy UN Special Coordinator, considered that local communities are at the “forefront of reacting with the Syrian refugee crisis.” He expressed his strong belief that although a lot has been done to support the local communities, a lot more is still needed to be done.
The governor of Baalbeck-Hermel, Bashir Khodor, drew attention to the fact that the most impoverished areas in Lebanon are the ones that most responded to the crisis, so he suggested the developmental programs to be leveraged to generate stronger local response capacities.
LOST’s forum is a landmark in the history of Baalbeck-Hermel, and it will definitely shape a new phase of cooperation between local communities and international donors on the basis of long-term development and people’s genuine needs.