The conference at the Grand Serail involving Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, donor countries, and financial institutions, on June 10, 2025. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient-Le Jour)
The President of the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) Mohammad Kabbani stated on Tuesday that "reconstruction work will start before the end of this year" in Lebanon, nearly a year after the cease-fire agreement with Israel came into effect. His remarks were made during a roundtable at the Grand Serail dedicated to the Lebanon Emergency Assistance Project (LEAP) and chaired by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, with representatives from donor countries and financial institutions.
The conference aims to finance the rehabilitation of basic services and public infrastructure damaged during the recent war between Hezbollah and Israel, according to the Grand Serail. Hezbollah opened a support front in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023. After months of exchanges of strikes and gunfire along the border, Israel launched a broad and deadly offensive on Sept. 27, 2024, followed by a ground offensive along the Blue Line a few days later. The war completely or partially destroyed villages in the south, the Bekaa, and the southern suburbs of Beirut. The World Bank estimates the total cost of damages in areas affected by Israeli bombings in Lebanon at $11 billion. These estimates cover the period from Oct. 8, 2023, to Dec. 20, 2024.
Nawaf Salam stated during the conference that the government needs "$12 billion" for reconstruction and announced last week the acquisition of a $250 million loan from the World Bank and the launch of projects with U.N. agencies valued at over $350 million for the south.
With a budget of $1 billion, LEAP is designed to quickly transition from an emergency intervention to rapid recovery, then to long-term climate-resilient reconstruction, according to the Serail. The program relies on transparent inter-ministerial regional prioritization mechanisms, approved by the government and ensuring that investments reach the communities best prepared for recovery and economic revitalization.
The U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon Imran Riza, the regional director of the World Bank Christophe Carrière, and the resident representative of the International Monetary Fund, Federico Lima, were notably present at Tuesday's meeting.
'Prioritization of essential needs'
In his speech, Kabbani stressed the importance of "revisiting" the reconstruction mechanisms to "identify weaknesses and obstacles hindering the start of projects," while proposing to "reshape procedures to reduce bureaucracy." Among the measures mentioned is "the revival of digitization, through the creation of a digital archiving system and the launch of an interactive dashboard for transparent access to information."
The CDR head also spoke about the Lebanon Emergency Assistance Project, "funded with approximately a million dollars and aimed at supporting the country's economic efforts in the context of reconstruction." He stated that the program would "primarily focus on essential needs," while recognizing "the future necessity of additional aid."
Regarding the $ 250 million loan granted by the World Bank, Kabbani said that "this amount remains below the initially desired $1 billion," which required "the implementation of a prioritization mechanism."
Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, in turn, stated that "today's urgency is to launch reconstruction efforts to allow the state to fulfill its fundamental role, which constitutes an essential path to regain the trust of the Lebanese." He emphasized the need to "mobilize all efforts to attract investors," adding that "the public sector will be fully integrated into the upcoming growth process."
The regional director of the World Bank stated that the envelope of $1 billion aims to "restore basic services and rebuild infrastructure." To support these efforts, the World Bank is preparing, in coordination with the Lebanese government, "a $ 250 million loan to fund the two main phases of the project."
"Part of this loan may finance a feasibility study for infrastructure reconstruction during the second phase of the project," he added.