“Supporting small businesses in Lebanon is the only way to help Lebanon recover from its crisis. It will help the country be self-sufficient, more productive, and retain its qualified workforce; a compelling need to stop the excessive brain drain” says Joanna Gerges, 32, in a voice filled with enthusiasm and hope for a brighter future in Lebanon. Over the past four years, Joanna has been spending most of her time in her winery “Chateau Cana” in Ras El Harf, Mount Lebanon, founded by her father 22 years ago. For Joanna, “Chateau Cana” is not only a family business that she runs for profit. The winery is a purposeful project for which she left her rewarding full-time job in order to rescue it from bankruptcy. “When I realized that my family business was not doing well, I resigned from my job and devoted my time to the winery. I strongly believed in the potential this business can have in adding a name to Lebanon’s winemaking history and creating job opportunities for hundreds of people in neighboring villages” Joanna said. In fact, her family has been supporting 50 families in the 30 Lebanese villages by providing farmers with vine seedlings, then buying from them the crops to protect them from incurring any losses. Despite Joanna’s persistence and fervent hope for growth, she struggled to find international buyers for her local wine. “It’s very hard to sustain a business when you don’t have opportunities to connect and meet with international importers,” she explained. Joanna’s challenges were compounded by the country’s severe financial crisis resulting in a dramatic devaluation of the local currency, making access to finance strenuous and the import of raw materials exorbitant for her and other entrepreneurs. During the time when Joanna was searching for gainful opportunities to sustain her business, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Lebanon organized in partnership with Berytech, the “Business-To-Business (B2B) Matchmaking” event on the Agri-Food Innovation Day (AFID) that spanned over three consecutive days (22-24 March 2022). The event aimed to create business opportunities for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Lebanon by creating conducive platforms that connect Lebanese entrepreneurs with international buyers and help them reach international markets. The B2B Matchmaking event falls under the MESO level, one of three intertwined levels of a three-year joint UN initiative titled “Productive Sector Development Programme” (PSDP). The programme which is worth USD 7.4 million, is funded by the Lebanon Recovery Fund through the generous contribution of the Government of Canada, and implemented by six UN agencies, namely UNIDO, FAO, UNDP, ILO, UN Women, and UNICEF and led by the UN Resident Coordinator Office (RCO). “The Productive Sectors Development Programme came at a crucial moment in Lebanon’s history. Canada’s development programme is driven by four key principles: being people-centered, reform-oriented, collaboration-driven, and results-focused. This initiative is a great demonstration of those principles in action,” said Mr. Jamie Schnurr, Head of Cooperation at the Government of Canada in Lebanon. “Today’s event [B2B Matchmaking Event] is an example of the results expected,” he added at the event.  Accessing international markets and diversifying clients base are nowadays every agri-food company’s top priority in Lebanon, and their last lifeline to remain afloat amid the unfolding economic crisis. This is exactly what the PSDP has offered so far under its MESO component, which mainly aims at improving access of women and men-led MSMEs to international markets. For Rose Bechara, founder of Darmmess, a local producer of extra virgin olive oil, the event was “a grace from heaven, sparing us time, energy and money.” Watch Rose’s testimonial video and learn how she was able to meet her ‘dream’ buyer from Lafayette Gourmet.   Ramshad Hassan Pandi, import Manager at Lulu Saudi Hypermarkets in Saudi Arabia, was one of the international buyers present at the B2B Matchmaking event, searching for new untapped entrepreneurs and looking into innovative ways to scale up his collaboration with Lebanese businesses. “We see a lot of export potential in Lebanon’s agri-food businesses. They offer new products that we want to add to our portfolios such as goat cheese, garlic sauces, and honey.” Ramshad was eventually able to strike a deal with one of the young entrepreneurs at the UN-Berytech co-organized event.   BOOSTING LEBANESE BUSINESSES’ EXPORT SKILLS The “B2B Matchmaking” event is not the only activity under the PSDP. Maha, a producer, and manufacturer of naturally-made local nut spreads called “Spreadly”, has registered at the Lebanon Export Academy. The Academy aims at equipping women and men-led MSMEs and cooperatives in Lebanon with the required know-how and export skills to scale up their operational work and foster their export capacities. Through the Academy, a total of 70 MSMEs in Lebanon were trained on a myriad of export-related topics, from business plan development to product pitching, marketing and branding, pricing, and eligibility criteria.   ACHIEVING THE SDGs The PSDP is also one of the UN initiatives in Lebanon that contributes to the achievement of the Global Goals and the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. Maha explains this in her own words, showing great pride in her business: “By recycling our waste and encouraging our customers to return the jars in exchange for a discount, we are encouraging sustainable production and consumption habits.” She adds: “We are also partnering with young talents and forging partnerships with local businesses, hence contributing to Goals 8 and 17 on decent work and partnerships respectively.”  Despite doing well, Maha believes that her business can become even better with the guidance and training she will receive at the Academy. “I am eager to acquire the knowledge and skills offered by the UN through this Academy, which will undoubtedly open up new opportunities to export my products.”   AN ONLINE EXPORT PORTAL: A ONE-STOP SHOP Lebanon’s entrepreneurs need further support to survive the multi-faceted crisis and help Lebanon recover fast and build forward better. As such, and under the PSDP project, the UN partnered with the Investment Development Authority of Lebanon (IDAL) to create an Export portal that acts as a ‘One Stop Shop’ for international buyers wishing to import Lebanese products and connect with local Lebanese producers. Local companies also benefit from the portal’s market intelligence reports that highlight important information crucial to boosting export to promising markets. This portal is expected to increase access to information in export and import procedures and promote Lebanon’s export capacities, especially for women-led businesses to enable them to sell their products internationally. “Sometimes all you need is a small push to reach the potential success you have always envisioned” says Joanna with a wide smile on her face.  

In collaboration with the United Nations Information Centre in Beirut (UNIC Beirut), the Center of Civic Engagement and Community Service (CCECS) at the American University of Beirut (AUB) organized its annual NGO Forum under the title “NGOs as Frontliners: Challenges and Opportunities.” This year’s event, which hosted four panels over the 12th and 13th of April, allowed Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and United Nations (UN) agencies in Lebanon to speak about pressing social issues such as women empowerment, social justice, refugees in protracted crisis, mental health, and education. The event, which was held at the Basile Antoine Meguerdiche Conference Hall (IFI Auditorium) at the Issam Fares Institute at AUB, offered the university students the chance to listen to primary community actors and engage with their projects and initiatives. The panels involved experts from various UN agencies who spoke about topics relevant to their mission and area of expertise. On the first day, Joumana Zabaneh, UN Women Program Management Specialist participated in the panel entitled “Women Empowerment and Social justice”. In her intervention, Zabaneh unpacked the various layers of discrimination and injustice that women in Lebanon incur as a result of outdated social values and laws. She also focused on the topic of “unpaid care” which she presented as a major challenge for women in modern life because her normalized role persists to be centered around care providing. In a panel entitled “Refugees in Protracted crisis”, Carol El Sayed, Community Based Protection Officer at UNHCR presented some important figures about the situation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. El Sayed also highlighted UNHCR’s approach to refugees as “partners as much as government and academia are partners because they have their own agency and they can contribute to solutions and preventions.” In her talk, El Sayed emphasized that despite the devastating life conditions of refugees in Lebanon, UNHCR is also aware of the needs of the host community and Lebanese family who are also in need for aid and support.   On mental health, Danielle Inaty, UN Volunteer Programme Assistant, presented the work of WHO on supporting mental health in Lebanon in collaboration with local organizations and highlighted the available resources for learning about this topic. Inaty emphasized that the need for mental health support in the country has been increasing in light of the deteriorating political and economic situation and the aftermath of the 4th of August explosion, which have compromised the well-being of Lebanese population and particularly the youth. In the panel on education, Marco Pasqualini, UNESCO Education Specialist, presented “transformative education” as a key approach that transforms life by helping young people actively contribute to making the world a better world and to sustainability. “Transformative education, which contributes to fulfilling global goals and establishing education 2030, requires training teachers to be transformative themselves by using alternative teaching methods,” he added. UNIC Beirut Director Margo Helou commended the efforts of AUB to inform youth and engage them in discussions on pressing issues facing the country. She highlighted the importance of implementing the SDGs as a means to overcome these issues on the long term.   

A tangle of muddy roads lead to Rana’s farm, which is nestled between the snow-topped peaks of Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Perhaps they are a metaphor for the various factors the World Food Programme (WFP) is warning are driving up food and fuel prices across the Middle East and North Africa: climate change, conflict, the coronavirus pandemic, and rising costs. Since she was a child, Rana has got up at 5 a.m. to make a living out of what she loves most: being busy on her parents’ farm. “I am a farmer at heart,” says the former nurse. “I feel an itch whenever I stay between four walls for too long.” Yet, as Ramadan begins, Rana herself is one of the millions of Lebanese who are weathering a crumbling economy and skyrocketing costs. The war in Ukraine is impacting fuel and food prices. Import-dependent Lebanon gets 80 percent of its wheat from Ukraine – which together with Russia supplies 30 percent of the grain worldwide. Last year, the cost of a food basket – the minimum food needs per family per month – reported an annual increase of 351 percent in Lebanon, followed by Syria at 97 percent, and Yemen’s 81 percent. Sadly, wheat shipments to Lebanon are forced to arrive on smaller ships, after the devastating Beirut blast in 2020 destroyed the country’s largest grain storage silos. Meanwhile, farmers like Rana are on the front line of climate change, as prolonged dry spells wreak havoc with their fields. “I thought last summer would never end,” says Rana. She had to sell almost half of her sheep and cows, in order to look after the remaining ones, after prices for fodder were so high. “I also had to get rid of most of my vegetable yield last year because of a bug infestation,” she adds. When it doesn’t rain it’s “heaven for these little critters”. This summer she expects more and more of her crops will “fall victim to climate change”. She adds: “You don’t need a weather app to tell you something is not right. You literally feel it on your skin.” Heat and humidity make the work of agricultural labourers even more demanding, while irregular climate patterns force Rana to cultivate crops either earlier or later than usual to avoid the financial devastation of a poor harvest. Wildfires are hitting Lebanon left, right and centre, burning swathes of forests and forcing many to flee their homes. Since 2017, WFP in Lebanon has been on the front line of the response to the country’s climate crisis. We have planted over 1.1 million seedlings and preserved more than 502 hectares of forests from fires. Working with the American University of Beirut, WFP is currently implementing a pilot project that is strengthening the adaptive abilities of rural communities through supporting smallholder farmers in areas including Akkar, Bekaa, Baalbeck, and Hasbaya. It is building the capacities of farmers to mitigate the effects of climate change, through business development, marketing skills and livestock management. WFP is currently looking at replicating this work and similar livelihoods projects. However, a lack of funding hinders our full support to vulnerable people – including farmers – as they approach the brink. Funding is crucial to build on successes and support more people in need. Rana’s greenhouse used to be filled with different kinds of vegetables. The climate crisis is forcing her to opt for crops that are resilient to water shortages – planting aromatic herbs like mint and rosemary instead of the usual, and more lucrative, tomatoes, green peppers, and zucchini. “What I’ve learned in this project is eye-opening. I’m producing cost-friendly, organic fertilizers out of things I’m accustomed to throwing out,” says Rana, adding that this has allowed her to use the money she has saved to compensate for some of her losses. So instead of buying fertilizers, she is making them out of things she’s accustomed to throwing out. As prices continue to rise during Ramadan, Rana expects that more families will have little to eat when they break their fast. WFP remains at the forefront of the humanitarian response to Lebanon’s crises, currently assisting one in every three people across a country that is now reeling under the impact of local and global crises.

The Ministry of Public Health Central Drug Warehouse (MoPH-CDW) at Karantina is the major warehouse facility handling the reception, storage, and distribution of MoPH acute and catastrophic medications and vaccines, with a distribution network of more than 1,000 centers servicing more than one-half the population that are uninsured and eligible for the MoPH programs in addition to displaced Syrians. Following the Beirut Port explosions, the UN took the lead in the rehabilitation and improvement of the deteriorated MoPH-CDW under the World Health Organization's standards. The support led to an increase in storage capacity from 3000 m3 to 8000 m3 through two-level warehouses. These improvements will lead to better supply, storage, and dispensing mechanisms with fewer interruptions in stocks. The UN also helped establish nine cold rooms and two refrigeration rooms. The provided support led to an environment-friendly, innovative, and sustainable solar panel system serving as an emergency source of electricity. This system, its inverters, and batteries complement EDL and fuel-generated electricity. Strengthening the MoPH pharmaceutical supply system, upgrading the storage facilities, and implementing an updated logistic management software of MoPH will ensure access to medications, vaccines, and supplies for more than 2,000,000 patients and beneficiaries.