During the second session, representatives of the Lebanese political parties presented their oil & gas policies, including each party’s structure, decision and policy-making mechanisms, overview of the oil & gas policy, and priorities in this regard. Some of the political parties’ priorities included the development of a national and comprehensive natural resources strategy and the inclusion of the civil society in this process; the proper timing of establishing a national oil company (NOC) and a sovereign wealth fund (SWF) and their roles; transparency and accountability; issuing relevant by-laws for the sector; national development and creating jobs; and a holistic economic vision. In addition, the think tanks shared their experience around the governance of the oil & gas sector and its policy development.

NRGI presented its “Political Parties and Natural Resource Governance” guide during the last session, which is a practical guide for developing resource policy positions. During the final discussion, a representative of a political party stated that his party will use the Natural Resource Charter throughout the policy-making process. Another participant mentioned that the guide was very useful and her party will definitely utilize it while developing its oil & gas policy. Finally, participants requested NRGI to share with them electronic copies of all relevant guides and papers regarding governance and policy-making of the oil & gas sector, as to disseminate these technical resources within their political parties.