April 25, 2025, Building back Better: The Path for Inclusive, Sustainable, and Transformative Reconstruction in Lebanon and Syria

The working language of the event will be English but interpretation to Arabic and French will be available via Zoom only for online participants. In-person participants wishing to use the interpretation service will need to connect to the Zoom link using earbuds and their own laptops/smartphones.

Session's Abstract: As Lebanon and Syria navigate critical reform and reconstruction phases, it is essential to ensure that governance, financing, and economic policies promote transparency, accountability, and social justice. This session will assess gaps in governance and financing, highlighting how IMF and World Bank interventions can support, rather than undermine, inclusive recovery. It will also explore the needed economic reform plans and the role that IFIs should have in fostering long-term stability, and sustainable and equitable growth. Finally, the session will examine the social impact of these efforts, emphasizing the need for policies that prioritize livelihoods, social protection, equality, and community resilience.

Session's organizers: Arab Reform Initiative (ARI), The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP); Human Rights Watch (HRW); Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors; Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND); Arab Watch Coalition (AWC); MENA Fem Movement for Economic, Development, and Ecological Justice; Phenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies; Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in MENA