Finance minister announces funds for the Higher Relief Committee and contractors’ debts amid 2026 budget planning

Finance Minister Yassine Jaber made several announcements related to public finance topics, according to a statement published Thursday by his ministry following a Cabinet meeting dedicated to various files.

The minister also chaired a meeting with the relevant senior officials "to examine the latest measures related to preparing the 2026 budget, so that it can be presented within the constitutional deadlines." To remain on schedule, the finance minister must submit the draft budget for the following year before the end of August, so it can be reviewed by the Cabinet and then sent to Parliament.

Among the other announcements, the minister first indicated that an initial release of LL 200 billion from the public treasury would be allocated to the Higher Relief Committee "to begin repairing the damage in the southern suburbs of Beirut." He also said he had been authorized by the government to "sign a loan agreement with the World Bank for an amount of $250 million intended for the reconstruction of infrastructure in areas affected by the Israeli aggression against Lebanon."

Jaber also said that the Cabinet approved Wednesday "a draft law aimed at opening a credit line in the 2025 budget to pay LL 12 million ($134) per month to all public sector retirees." He stated that "this measure, which still needs to be ratified by Parliament, is part of a process aimed at correcting the salaries and compensation of all current and retired public employees, in order to adapt them to living conditions and the state’s financial situation, while maintaining balance and ensuring the dignity of employees in this sector."

The minister said that the government approved a plan to settle debts owed to contractors carrying out work for the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR), an issue that regularly comes up for discussion. "These payments will be staggered annually in installments agreed upon financially and temporally, after years of freeze on this issue, which had blocked several vital projects," the minister said, specifying that this plan was "the result of an agreement between his ministry, the CDR, and the public works contractors’ union."