Beirut – 18 February 2022: As Lebanon faces an unprecedented economic and social crisis, there is a need to closely examine the root causes of the crisis and seek to address them and recover from their impact. Central to these root causes is poor governance characterized by a deep accountability deficit and widespread systemic corruption. As part of its effort to support Lebanon’s public administration, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) entered a new partnership with the Civil Service Board to strengthen integrity in the public sector. This includes support for the development and implementation of a code of ethics and conduct for public officials that fall under the jurisdiction of the Board.

“This is a concrete and practical step that allows the government to fulfill related commitments under the United Nations Convention against Corruption and is in line with the National Anti-Corruption Strategy that is currently being implemented in Lebanon” said Mohammed Salih, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative.

Enhancing integrity in civil service contributes to improved performance and reduced corruption. To succeed in this endeavor, various reform measures are required including the provision of a proper working environment and adequate resources, but also the establishment of a clear set of principles, rules, and standards for ethics and conduct that is well known and respected by all civil servants.

In her statement, Nisrine Machmouchi, President of the Civil Service Board, stressed that “developing and implementing the code will be part of the foundational work needed to regain mutual trust between the state and citizens, and to promote a culture of loyalty to civil service as part of the allegiance to the country”, adding that this will help to “lead to a public administration where oversight and accountability are taken seriously, where motivation and incentives for good performance are made possible, and where merit and competence have implications for advancement in public office”.

In the framework of this partnership, and with a view to launching a process that will enable the exchange ideas and benefiting from broad based institutional participation in the formulation of the Code, the Civil Service Board and UNDP organized a high-level kickoff meeting at the Board’s premises with 25 senior public officials in attendance, including Minister Najla Riachi, the Minister of State for Administrative Reform, who is leading the process of following up on the implementation of the national anti-corruption strategy.

The findings of the meeting paved the way for taking the initiative forward and expanding related consultation towards developing the code in the second quarter of this year, while linking it to a national awareness-raising and training program and a system to ensure implementation and compliance on the ground.
 

For more information, please contact

In UNDP – Lebanon      |  Rana Moughabghab |  rana.moughabghab@undp.org   |  +961 3 835 351

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