Lebanon Development Marketplace 2006 Dishes out US$230,000 to Proposals Targeting Lebanese Youth

The World Bank and international development partners have awarded US$230,000 to 13 local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and academic institutions, which applied for seed funding for projects in the competition entitled Youth in Governance: Shaping the Future.

Winners of the Lebanon Development Marketplace 2006 (LDM 2006) were announced on Innovation Day on April 6, 2006, at Al-Madina Theater, in Beirut. Twenty-three competitors displayed proposals to promote the rights and duties of the youth in Lebanon, curb the brain drain and foster links between the Lebanese at home and in Diaspora.

The competition, launched November 18, 2005, was organized by the World Bank in partnership with the British Foreign Office’s Global Opportunities Fund (GOF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Lebanese Transparency International (LTA).

Youth in Governance: Shaping the Future is a competition that attracted 67 project proposals. Twenty-four were selected for the second and final stage of the competition, but one withdrew before the final round.

Innovation Day featured a mix of light entertainment and passionate debate. The North Lebanon Fayhaa Choir, a winner of the 2005 music contest in Warsaw, Poland, teamed up with local university bands to attract a large audience of mixed ages from all walks of life, as well as diplomats and officials.

In opening remarks, Minister of Culture Tarek Mitri stressed the all-important role of the Lebanese youth in shaping “good governance.” He said young Lebanese are torn between “despair and fear,” and urged the Government to initiate dialogue with the youth on administrative reform and corruption.

World Bank Lebanon Country Manager Omar Razzaz told the audience that the competition underscored the resourcefulness of the young Lebanese, and challenged the youth with questions: “Are today’s youth more able than the war generation to prevent civil strife?”

“Are today’s youth more tolerant than their ancestors, able to listen to and accept an opposing view? Are today’s youth more immune to corruption and favoritism?” If so, the youth have no time to waste in assuming an effective role in governance, Razzaz concluded.

UNDP Resident Representative Mona Hammam praised LDM 2006 as the second consecutive successful partnership with the World Bank in Beirut.

British Ambassador James Watt said the challenges facing the youth are not unique to Lebanon, but prevalent even in developed countries.

Giselle Khoury, the renowned television talk-show hostess, moderated a debate among the participants that addressed the aspirations and grievances of the Lebanese youth, ranging from election law, to gender equality and the role of political parties and marginalized communities in governance.

Wissam Breidi, a university student and television quiz show host, announced the winners, but noted that two to three project proposals would need to be drafted as recommended by the four-member jury, comprised of Watt, Razzaz, Hammam and Roberto Laurenti, UNICEF’s resident representative.

The 13 winners are: