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Even before 2019, Lebanon’s infrastructure ranked among the worst worldwide. The ongoing crises, having slashed funding for capital expenditures, made matters even worse. If Lebanon was to recover, its infrastructure must improve and billions of dollars in investments will be necessary to provide citizens with decent public services, like access to water, electricity, and transportation.

With extensive prerogatives and technical expertise, Lebanon’s Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) will take a leading role in any infrastructure development plan. New evidence, however, highlights the perils of providing one institution with such extensive prerogatives. In a new publication entitled “Cartels in Infrastructure Procurement – Evidence from Lebanon”, The Policy Initiative, with support from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, dives into the procurement process at CDR to understand how collusion happens during what is a highly regulated and supervised task.

CDR is not the only institution facing challenges to administer funds effectively. Administrative and legal shortcomings have long plagued Lebanon’s public procurement, leading to misallocation and alleged cases of corruption. While the recent reform of the public procurement law addresses some of these shortcomings, further reform will be necessary for Lebanon to be able to plan and administer infrastructure investment plans.

Against this background, the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation and The Policy Initiative cordially invite you to the launching event of our latest publication. The presentation will be accompanied by a panel discussion with experts on the broader implications of the findings. Stay on for networking thereafter.

Note: This event will be held in mostly English with simultaneous translation into Arabic or English.

Location: HILTON BEIRUT HABTOOR GRAND, Hamra Hall -Charles de Gaulle street, Horsh Tabet, Sin El Fil, Beirut, Lebanon

Date & Time: Thursday, October 6, 2022 from 06:00 p.m till 09:00 p.m

 

Program

until 06:00 p.m.		Registration
06:00 p.m. – 06:20 p.m.		Welcome remarks & Key note Mr. Michael Bauer KAS Representative to Lebanon & Director Dr. Sami Atallah Founding Director – The Policy Initiative
06:20 p.m. – 06:40 p.m.		Presentation of the findings Dr. Mounir Mahmalat & Wassim Maktabi Senior Researcher – The Policy Initiative Researcher – The Policy Initiative
06:40 p.m. – 07:30 p.m.		Panel Discussion Moderator: Dr. Sami Atallah Speakers: - Mr. Riad Kobeissi, Investigative Journalist - Ms. Lamia Moubayed Bissat Advisor to the Minister of Finance on Public Procurement Reform - Dr. Mounir Mahmalat, Senior Researcher at The Policy Initiative
07:30 p.m. – 08:00 p.m.		Audience Interventions - Q&A
08:00 p.m. – 09:00 p.m.		Networking

 

RSVP by filling the form through this link.