Project Overview

The Peacebuilding in Lebanon Project addresses the underlying causes of social tension and conflict intensified by the Syrian crisis and Lebanon's ongoing economic collapse. Now in its third phase, the project works at the national, municipal, and community levels to institutionalize peacebuilding. By integrating conflict prevention into the education system, empowering media for balanced reporting, and developing local-level peace strategies, the project aims to foster a culture of dialogue and prevent the escalation of violence in vulnerable regions.

Project Objective

• Integrating the culture of peace and non-violence into public schools and communities in Lebanon.
• Offering alternative media spaces for a fact-based and diverse discourse.
•  Supporting municipalities and local actors across Lebanon to promote social stability and local development.
• Support an NGO platform to promote nation-wide dialogue regarding Lebanon's history and collective memory.
• Provide regular analysis of tensions (Tensions Monitoring System) to inform the national humanitarian and development response.

Achievements & Key Figures

• 332 local committees for stability and local development have been formed.
• 162,227 community members and local actors (50,078 women, 2,323 Syrians, and 18,084 youth) were targeted through social, recreational, economic, and touristic activities organized by local committees. 
• With the support of the local committees, a peace choir has been established, bringing together 120 youth from different religious backgrounds and nationalities that would otherwise not have come together.
• 547 individuals benefited from trauma-healing activities through an intervention implemented to address trauma through art therapy in the Karantina neighborhood, an area in Beirut greatly affected by the Beirut Port Explosion.
•  22 committees revitalized their communities through tourism initiatives. 
• 28 members (including 19 women, 11 youth) established a national Insider Mediation Network to facilitate dialogue and peacebuilding. 
• In partnership with leading national newspapers, 28 news supplements focused on peacebuilding were produced and printed. They engaged writers, journalists, media professionals, researchers, youth, and artists residing in Lebanon across the political and religious spectrum, in what can be called a “safe media space”, where inclusiveness is promoted, ensuring that all voices, especially those from vulnerable communities, are heard and valued. 
• The news supplement was transformed in 2021 into a digital platform in which currently 112 contributors contribute content on topics related to peace and development, highlighting challenges within their communities, amplifying excluded voices, and sharing success stories. 
• 12 national online campaigns were launched raising awareness on the negative impact of fake news on civil peace and social stability.
• 428 national, local media professionals, and young media students were trained on conflict sensitive reporting, fact checking tools and techniques, and countering hate speech at national and local levels.
• From the pool of the trained youth emerged ‘Sawab’, the first youth-led fact-checking initiative that counteracts misinformation and disinformation at both local and national levels.
• The "Journalists' Pact for Strengthening Civil Peace" targeted 34 media outlets.
• 76 public schools were targeted for the integration of peace-building activities and skills into their educational frameworks, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE).
• 578 staff members from the Department for Orientation and Pedagogical Team (DOPS) underwent training to effectively incorporate conflict prevention strategies into the school system, in partnership with MEHE.
• 61 communities were empowered to mainstream conflict-prevention through recreational and arts activities, positively impacting 21,332 beneficiaries in the journey towards violence-free environments.
• A 'Digitalized Peacebuilding Toolbox' was produced in collaboration with the Center for Education, Research, and Development (CERD), serving as a comprehensive guide for seamlessly integrating conflict prevention into the school system.
• A joint initiative with Ministry of Education and Higher Education MEHE and the Ministry of Information (MoI) resulted in the launch of the "It's Not Normal to Normalize Violence" campaign, aimed at raising awareness about the detrimental effects of violent media content on children.
• Supported and strengthened collaboration of NGOs working on dealing with the past and reconciliation efforts to increase impact at the national level.

GESI Component (Gender Equality and Social Inclusion)

The project is classified as GEN2, with a specific focus on the role of women as peacebuilders. It ensures that women are core members of the local Social Stability Committees and participate directly in municipal mediation processes. The "Violence-Free Schools" initiative specifically addresses gender-based violence (GBV) and bullying, creating safer environments for girls. Furthermore, the project supports women journalists and civil society leaders in promoting inclusive narratives that represent the voices of marginalized groups in the peace process.
The peacebuilding in Lebanon project prioritizes the inclusion of women, refugees, individuals with disabilities, and youth in all its activities related to development, peace, and civic engagement. It ensures the active involvement of diverse community groups, including youth, women, individuals with disabilities, Mukhtars, Municipal Council members, and local actors from various nationalities and cultural backgrounds in the local development process and decision-making. The project also ensures the representation of their concerns in response plans, activities, and workshops at the community level.

• To date, a total of 846 women (45%) are active local committee members, playing an integral role in the committee’s responses and interventions in their communities (2021-2025).
• 120 young women were trained on combating fake news and hate speech at local and national levels.
• 323 trainees from the General Directorate of Education were women in “Violence-Free Schools” initiative.