President Joseph Aoun at a conference on "Smart Government" held at the Phoenicia Hotel. (Photo shared by the conference organizers)
President Joseph Aoun argued that the establishment of a 'Smart Government' in Lebanon was being postponed by those who wish to maintain corruption in the country. He spoke during a conference on the subject organized at the Phoenicia Hotel, under the title "Smart Government Diaspora Experts for Lebanon," organized by the Lebanese Executives Council (LEC), an organization bringing together actors from the Lebanese private sector in Lebanon and abroad, whose mission is to promote development and reforms in the country. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's definition, a smart government is defined by several pillars, including the digitization of state services, enhancing transparency, and proactivity.
"The smart government is always postponed so that citizens' administrative procedures remain subject to the arbitrariness of certain corrupt individuals. The digital transition is hindered and sabotaged so that certain administrations remain paralyzed, opening their doors to the citizen only in two cases: corruption or the intervention of a zaim (communal leader). These two practices feed a system of clientelism that has contributed to the destruction of Lebanon for many decades," he said. His remarks were shared on the president's X account.
"What do we want from the smart government? Quite simply, we want public service for every citizen, regardless of their identity, affiliation, or network. We want a more effective, faster, more transparent, and more inclusive service. We want Lebanon to open up to regional and international partnerships, to be able to welcome foreign investments. This is an essential and unavoidable goal," added Aoun. "Hundreds of Lebanese have already achieved this in their countries of adoption. The time has come to achieve it for their country of origin."
At the end of his speech, Aoun pointed out that Lebanon “has asked to join” the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO). This is an international organization founded in 2020, which specializes in the digital economy and now has 16 member countries.
By joining the DCO, Lebanon could benefit through “the establishment of partnerships between the public and private sectors in all countries, the attraction of new investments, the strengthening of digital capacities and the establishment of partnerships between the member countries themselves,” Hajar El-Haddaoui, the organization's managing director, told L'Orient-Le Jour on the sidelines of the event. She added that "the digital transformation that a country wants to adopt depends in part on its infrastructure [in terms of telecommunications]. Lebanon must work to improve its infrastructure to accelerate this transformation."
For his part, State for Administrative Reform (Omsar) Minister Fadi Makki pointed out that “Lebanon is lagging in the digital field, particularly concerning its public sector.” He added that this “digital transformation would enable Lebanon to register a significant improvement in this area.” "That's why we're working to secure a $150 million loan from the World Bank, which would provide the foundations, including infrastructure. The project is scheduled to be implemented over five years," he added.
'Digital transformation is a necessity'
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam declared at the close of the forum that the meeting was “an essential step on the road to building a modern and efficient administration.”
“We have come together with a clear objective to launch the process of digital transformation of the Lebanese state, in order to strengthen trust, improve the efficiency of services and meet citizens' expectations,” he declared, thanking the Lebanese diaspora for “their expertise, their ideas and their sincere commitment.”
“For Lebanon, digital transformation is not a luxury, but a necessity,” he added. "It's a reform that directly benefits people: It saves time, reduces corruption and improves the quality of services. It's also an essential condition for economic growth: Without a digital administration, there can be no investment commensurate with our ambitions; without transparency, there can be no trust; without modernization, there can be no opportunities commensurate with what our young people deserve to build their future here, in their country."
According to the prime minister, “to succeed, we need full coordination between ministries and administrations.” “Lebanon cannot remain on the sidelines of the digital world,” he continued. “We are determined to be an integral part of the regional and global digital economy.”
In addition to the fact that Lebanon plans to join the DCO, he said he aims “to launch digital projects that are financially viable and sustainable in the long term.” He also thanked “the experts and members of the diaspora who will accompany the implementation of the conference recommendations through a coalition created especially for this purpose.” “This coalition will develop a national application linking Lebanese ministries with the expertise of the diaspora, in order to strengthen cooperation between them,” he concluded.
Sponsored by Aoun, the event was organized in cooperation with the Lebanese American University (LAU), the Chamber of Commerce of Beirut and Mount Lebanon, the Lebanese Business Council in Kuwait, the Lebanese Business Council in Abu Dhabi, the Australian New Zealand Lebanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as the Association of Lebanese Businessmen in France.
Since his election in January, the president expressed his desire to unlock major reform projects that the country must launch to rebuild its economy and financial system, which was brought to its knees by a severe crisis that broke out in 2019 and was exacerbated by several events in recent years, including the war between Israel and Hezbollah that caused more than $12 billion in damages and economic losses, according to the latest evaluation made this winter by the World Bank.
Tackling corruption is one of the projects that must be implemented to be taken seriously by the country's partners and the International Monetary Fund, to which Lebanese leaders reiterated their willingness to subscribe to a financial assistance program. An IMF delegation arrived in Beirut last week to monitor the process.
According to the latest edition of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) published earlier this year by the NGO Transparency International, Lebanon scored 22 out of 100, down two points from the previous year, placing it at 154 out of 180 countries worldwide.