Lebanon

In Lebanon, justice and security sectors faced unprecedented challenges in 2022. A multidimensional crisis has exacerbated people’s vulnerabilities, devastated the national economy, pushed thousands into poverty and caused instability throughout the country. The crisis threatened the core functioning of rule of law institutions, with the concern too often shifting from inefficient service delivery to inability to ensure basic security and justice services.

In previous years, the support from the Global Programme for Strengthening the Rule of Law, Human Rights, Justice and Security for Sustainable Peace and Development allowed the UNDP Country Office in Lebanon to strategically position itself as a leader in justice sector support. In 2022, building on this leadership role, UNDP continued its operations and provided a comprehensive response to the crisis, focusing on the three main programming pillars.

Coordinating the Committee for the municipal police reform (composed of the Head of the ISF (police) academy and representatives from the Ministry of Interior), UNDP developed and launched 13 management and oversight guidance tools for the municipal police, finalized an assessment of the oversight mechanisms and spearheaded flexible training modalities. At the local level, the promotion of the municipal police reform programme was upscaled and piloted in over 40 new municipalities. UNDP worked closely with district and municipal authorities, as well as the municipal police, to present the reform and support its implementation. In addition, a communication for development (C4D) approach was integrated into UNDP’s operations to achieve behavioural change and increase the level of trust between the municipal police and community members.

A national policy for legal aid was developed with UNDP support and three pilot legal aid centres were established to ensure access to justice for the marginalized groups. Over 6,000 people (over 50 percent were women and 40 percent refugees, mostly from Syria) received legal support in these centres. Two legal service delivery models were put forward: one through the municipality in Saida and Baalback and the other one was established through the Bar Association. A third legal aid delivery model was developed by the Access to Justice Working Group led by the Ministry of Justice and coordinated by UNDP. Legal aid will be provided through a university clinic in 2023. All the three models go beyond the customary interpretation limiting legal aid to legal representation services and provide a broad range of services, including legal awareness, counselling and mediation. To raise awareness on rights of vulnerable groups and on the services available, the legal aid centres held over 145 in-person sessions. In parallel, two national consultations on gender-based violence prevention and juvenile justice were held to further define the national policy and improve legal aid service delivery.

In addition, UNDP initiated piloting of legal assistance services during the criminal preliminary investigation phase, as a response to an amendment introduced to the criminal procedure code that enables individuals interrogated by the police to be accompanied by an attorney. The initiative will be expanded in 2023.

The Country Office worked with the Supreme Judicial Council to develop an inspection methodology (reférentiels d’inspection) and a database with all the information about the judges and courts. This will allow for more efficient management of the judicial system, including fairer allocation of resources and distribution of caseload, and promote its independence. In addition, UNDP led dialogue efforts with and among justice sector stakeholders to promote legislation that will guarantee judicial independence. As a step towards this result, UNDP supported the review of the draft law on the independence of judicial courts by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.

UNDP continued to improve the capacity of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), including through technical support to launch the Commission’s website and an online complaint form. The operationalization of these two digital tools is ongoing.

The programme implementation in Lebanon included the development and/or consolidation of synergies and partnerships with the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the European Union as a co-lead of the Access to Justice Working Group. UNDP’s joint work with UNHCR is seen as a good practice model of the Humanitarian-Development-Peace or triple nexus approach. Joint support to strengthening national institutions streamlines a leave no one behind approach to ensure that all individuals in Lebanon, including refugees and migrant workers, have access to justice and can exercise their rights.

Looking ahead, UNDP is putting forward an integrated three-track approach to security and justice programming: preventing the paralysis of the security and justice sectors by safeguarding their effective functioning and service delivery; supporting comprehensive development and implementation of the reform of security and justice institutions; consolidating and expanding UNDP’s people-centred security and justice efforts. In the context of increased tensions and exacerbated vulnerabilities, this paradigm shift in service delivery will serve as an instrument for fostering social cohesion and stability.