Lebanon ready to implement World Bank reforms, says Joseph Aoun

The president of the Lebanese Republic, Joseph Aoun, assured World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa region, Ousmane Dione, on Wednesday that Lebanon is "ready to implement the necessary reforms, in accordance with what was announced in the inaugural speech [of the president] and that one of the first missions of the new government will be to prepare the necessary texts to do so," as reported by the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Dione, for his part, assured that "the World Bank will stand alongside Lebanon to help with reconstruction and reshaping."

In April 2022, Lebanon reached an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that would allow the government to access about $3 billion over four years, provided the country undertakes a series of fiscal, financial, and monetary reforms set by the international institution. However, Lebanon has made little progress in implementing the required reforms.