The flags of Germany, the UK, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and the US, along the logo of the IMPACT platform. (Credit: Twitter/@impact_gov)
BEIRUT — Ambassadors of several countries along with Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati voiced, in a joint statement, "their collective support" for the state IMPACT data transparency platform.
The joint statement was compiled Tuesday and released Thursday afternoon. It included the ambassadors of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Germany and Netherlands, as well as the deputy ambassador of Japan and Mikati.
“We have all agreed on our continued support for transparency and accountability in Lebanon," the statement said. "We confirmed our collective support for the IMPACT oversight platform under Central Inspection. IMPACT’s work is ground-breaking and the first of its kind in Lebanon."
Breaking: The Ambassadors of the UK, USA, Canada, Germany, Netherlands and Deputy Ambassador of Japan confirmed their collective support for the IMPACT oversight platform under Central Inspection, Following a meeting with PM @Najib_Mikati https://t.co/Ly2ZdOIonP #BackIMPACT pic.twitter.com/Q5SoalnCLc
— IMPACT (@impact_gov) March 9, 2023
They also said that they "agreed that Central Inspection has a fundamental role in support of governance practice and ensures compliance with laws and regulations across all government institutions. We rejected misleading media allegations that target UK support in Lebanon and welcomed the support that has enabled the development and implementation of the successful IMPACT platform."
Some reports have questioned the privacy of citizens' data on the IMPACT platform. "Most of the collected data is highly sensitive information about each individual, such as the full name, date of birth, place of residence, and ID number, as well as medical information," a report by Lebanese non-governmental organisation Social Media Exchange (SMEX) said in 2021.