Publications

Complex challenges confront early recovery efforts in regime-controlled areas of Syria, where traditional humanitarian aid alone no longer meets the nation’s urgent and growing needs. Though donors recognize the need for this shift, securing adequate financing for early recovery activities remains challenging. Some fear that the regime may misuse early recovery funding and projects to solidify its authority, hampering a sustainable resolution to the conflict. A lack of information sharing and coordination among donors complicate the situation.   The report offers a structured approach to establishing a principled early recovery framework, detailing practical steps and defining strategic roles for international humanitarian organizations and donors. By addressing critical operational obstacles and emphasizing accountability, the report provides a clear roadmap to guide donors, practitioners, and stakeholders in creating a sustainable, transparent response to Syria’s recovery needs.

This research paper employs a systems analysis to explore how solid waste mismanagement has been an intentional political decision-making process tailored to nurture and protect dysfunctionality through elite capture and clientelism. The hypothesis will be presented using a Causal Loop Diagram (CLD) which will then be analyzed and validated via case studies involving the municipalities of Beit Mery, Dhour Choueir, and Brih. This paper published with the cooperation of Arab Reform Initiative A paper by Cynthia Kreidy, Policy Analyst, Millennium Institute  

Building on prior TPI research about alternative political groups in Lebanon, this report examines challenges that “Change MPs” faced during their first 18 months in office. Drawing on eight original interviews with Change MPs, the report is divided into four sections that examine their legislative performance, oversight duties, parliamentary alliances, and political outlooks. It also examines how sectarian parties have paralyzed the parliament to protect their interests – from avoiding accountability and delaying reforms to sabotaging legislation and bullying opponents – by recounting specific legislative battles waged by Change MPs.

Do you want to get an overview of the environmental activism scene in Lebanon? Read this joint publication by AUB Nature Conservation Center and Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Middle East, titled “Grassroots Environmental Activism in Lebanon: David vs Goliath?

A very inspiring creative project Hajar utilized a historical-political lens, to carefully delineate artists, community and the use of space within Beirut’s quick pace of change. Given the lack of research on the dialectic between music and crises in the region, this historical lens is applied to understand recent developments that begin from the October 2019 Revolution, extending through to the complete collapse of the economy and banking system, and the August 2020 explosion. The photos coupled with over twenty interviews aim to re-imagine and recreate our spaces and collective identity with values that extend far past appreciating certain genres. This project chooses to focus on the vibrant and creative forces which stand in constant dialogue with the worn and broken.

Around the world, we are increasingly seeing warring parties systematically withholding humanitarian aid to advance their war aims. This is demonstrated by the hbs-supported report by Emma Beals, "Convoys, Cross-border, Covert Ops: Responding to state-led arbitrary aid denial in civil wars. Lessons from Syria, Myanmar, and Ethiopia". The state-centric, UN-dependent humanitarian system repeatedly fails where internationally recognized governments deny humanitarian aid in violation of international law.

Did you know that small-scale peasant farmers produce 70% of the world's food? Our Partner JIBAL.org and their researchers have been engaging in important conversations around the debate about who really feeds the world at the national and international levels. Check out their latest publication on “Agroecology in Lebanon” to find out more about how agroecology- an alternative food system vision– is being used in Lebanon as a tool to build a more equitable food system.

This report provides a situation analysis of women in Lebanon. Overall, it examines gender, feminism, sexuality, queer, and human rights conditions and challenges. The reading takes place in the context of Lebanon’s severe economic collapse, especially after the Beirut Port Blast and the lockdowns imposed during the pandemic over the past two years. 

Refugees_Partners Project publishes a report titled: "Access to legal stay and labor For Syrians in Lebanon: Status and prospects". This report examines Syrian refugees’ access to legal status in Lebanon, i.e. residency, legal documentation, and work permits. Accordingly, the research investigates the legal and policy frameworks governing the livelihood of Syrians in Lebanon by examining the different legislations and regulations governing Syrians’ stay in Lebanon and access to labor opportunities and also examining the published reports and articles written by scholars or active organizations. This report scrutinizes the policy responses that relate to Syrian refugees’ status in Lebanon, focusing on the livelihood sector as implemented by UN actors the international and national NGOs.

My nationality is my right has a long history in Lebanon. In a country, that does not treat its citizens equally; women cannot pass their nationality to their husbands and children if they have a binational marriage. To this day, this law is still on papers. In this paper, Benita argue that the performative citizenship of the children in these families is not only expressed through their political and social activism for a more inclusive citizenship law. Rather, by finding coping strategies to exercise basic human rights and by having an affective citizenship meaning they feel Lebanese and therefore state their right to be Lebanese on paper, they are performing Lebanese citizenship.