(French; Arabic)


The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (generally known as “The World Bank”) was established in 1945. It is an international organization affiliated with the United Nations. The World Bank is the world’s premier development lending institution. Currently 185 countries are members of the Bank. Lebanon joined the World Bank on April 14, 1947. Over the years, Lebanon has received over $980 million in World Bank loans.

The World Bank Group, also includes four other institutions: the International Development Association (IDA), which makes concessional loans to the poorest countries of the world; the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which finances private sector investments; the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), which provides investment guarantees against non-commercial risks; and the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

The Bank’s fundamental mission is to alleviate poverty and support sustainable development. It seeks to achieve this objective through partnership with governments (who are the real owners of the development projects that the Bank finances), other donors, and civil society. Its assistance is therefore in the context of a comprehensive development framework.

The Bank currently has offices in over 100 member countries around the world and is encouraging decentralization in order to provide more effective support on the ground. At the request of the Government of Lebanon, the World Bank opened a Country Office in Beirut on January 31, 2000.

More recently, in May 2009, the World Bank moved to new, larger premises in Beirut Central District to accommodate its expanding staff and duties as a regional hub.

Bank Assistance to in Lebanon

During the September 2006 Annual Meetings, the World Bank’s Board of Governors approved a grant of US$70 million for a Trust Fund to support the Government’s reconstruction efforts following the July-August 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon.  The money came from the Bank’s surplus, without adding to the country’s debt burden.

The Trust Fund is being used to scale up existing projects and advance projects under preparation, Part of the grant was allocated to the IFC, which is working with the Government to rehabilitate Lebanon’s private sector, focusing, among other elements, on small and medium enterprises and the removal of administrative barriers.

At the request of the Government, the World Bank carried out an Economic and Social Impact Assessment, which provided important inputs for the Government’s Reconstruction and Reform Program that was unveiled at the Paris III conference of the Donor Community.

Also at Paris III, the World Bank pledged up to US$700 million over the next three years to support the Government’s plan.

Active Projects

Education Development Project (US$44.5 million). This Project is designed to support the Government's efforts to enhance the capacity of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to function as an effective manager of the education sector and to restore the credibility of the Public Education System.

First Municipal Infrastructure Project (US$80.0 million). This Project aims at addressing urgent municipal works while setting the stage for the gradual assumption of responsibility for municipal services at the local level.

Ba’albeck Water and Wastewater Project (US$43.5 million). The major development objectives of the Project include: improving the access of satisfactory water supply and wastewater services to the region’s residents; introducing appropriate sector reforms – particularly the development and strengthening of the capacity of the existing Baalbeck Hermel Water and Irrigation Authority and, once it is established, the Bekaa Regional Water Authority; involving the private sector in the operation and maintenance of water and wastewater facilities; and rationalizing the use of water through the introduction of water meters.

Urban Transport Development Project (US$65.0 million).  The Project’s objectives are to provide the city of Beirut and the Greater Beirut Area with the basic institutional framework that is currently lacking, and to support critical investments needed to maximize the efficiency of existing urban transport infrastructure. 

Cultural Heritage and Tourism Development Project (US$31.5 million). The Project will finance site conservation, enhancement investments and associated urban infrastructure improvements in selected sites, and provide technical assistance to strengthen the capacity of the Directorate General of Antiquities, Ministry of Tourism, and targeted municipalities in cultural heritage preservation and tourism development.

Grants

First Municipal Infrastructure Project Supplemental (US$30 million). This grant aims to restore basic services and rebuild municipal infrastructure in the areas hardest hit during the summer 2006 conflict and provide technical assistance to and build the capacity of municipalities to mitigate the impact of hostilities on municipal finances.

Mechanism for National Reconstruction (US$1.25 million). The grant supports the establishment by the Government of Lebanon of a system to manage and monitor the reconstruction funding in an affective and transparent manner, promoting international standards and good practice.

Rapid Social and Livelihoods Assessment (US$99,000). The objective of the grant is to feed into the strategic planning processes related to post-conflict reconstruction. As such, it is expected to identify social policies and interventions to help those affected by the conflict and vulnerable segments of the Lebanese society. The grant aims to fill as serious information gap on livelihoods and social conditions.

Emergency Beka’a Water Supply Project (US$15 million). The objective of the project are to operate and maintain water and wastewater facilities in the Beka’a region; undertake rehabilitation works using the operations and the investment fund to be made available to by the government; and bill and collect on behalf of the Regional Water Utility for all its customers.

Second Emergency Social Protection Implementation Support Project (US$6 million). The objective of this project is to improve the administration, delivery, financial sustainability, and targeting of social services through implementation of new systems and the adoption of new policies at the National Social Security Fund, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. These systems and policies will improve access to and the quality of social insurance, social safety net, health and public education services, to the Lebanese middle class, and poor and vulnerable populations. 

Emergency Fiscal Management Reform Implementation Support Project (US$4 million). This project paper provides a grant from the Trust Fund for Lebanon (TFL) to support the implementation of the reforms in the public expenditure and debt management system, as part of the broader program of reforms presented to the international community by the Government of Lebanon (GoL) in the Donor's Conference held in Paris (Paris III) on January 25, 2007. 


For additional information:

Mona Ziade
Communications & External Affairs Officer
Tel: +961-1-987800 Ext: 239
Email: mziade@worldbank.org

Zeina El Khalil
Public Information Associate
Tel: +961-1-987800 Ext: 234
Email: zelkhalil@worldbank.org

The World Bank
Abdallah Beyhum Street
Beirut Central District (Between Foch and Allenby Streets)