Social development strategy launch at the Grand Serail: From aid to integration

BEIRUT — Social Affairs Minister  Haneen Sayed on Friday launched her ministry’s new strategy along with an executive plan at the Grand Serail.

The launch ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam along with a large number of ministers, MPs, senior officials, and representatives of international organizations.

In a speech, Sayed announced a radical shift in both her ministry’s focus and the government's social policy, moving away from mere assistance toward development and empowerment of the most vulnerable, which is why it has a new name: the "Ministry of Social Development."

"This ministry will no longer simply distribute funds but will be an administration that thinks, plans, develops policies, and coordinates among different ministries, because human needs are interconnected," she said.

'A national responsibility'

The minister said that social integration into the workforce would be among her major priorities, stating that "poverty is not resolved only through aid, but through capacity-building and opportunities."

Sayed specified that capacity-building had begun with the ministry’s own employees, especially those running service centers in the regions, to ensure they are able to support the population.

"This is not just a humanitarian mission, but a national responsibility," the minister continued, detailing her collaboration with various colleagues.

She also recalled the role her ministry played during crises, in particular the return of displaced people to regions bombarded by the Israelis during the latest war with Hezbollah, and the "dignified and safe" return of displaced Syrians to their homes after the regime change in Syria.

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Salam: 40% budget increase

For his part, Salam recalled that the ministry’s budget was increased by 40 percent in the 2026 state budget compared to the previous year, underlining the importance his government places on this issue.

"We are here today not just to launch a new strategy, but to reiterate our commitment in this area, because social policy is not a minor detail in public work, but an essential part of the project of any modern state," he said.

Salam praised the work of the Social Development Ministry and its new strategy, which "is in line with efforts to build a state of law, not simply one of assistance, of development and not just of emergencies." The prime minister spoke of "the challenge of transforming the administration into a public service and programs into policies with measurable results."

"This strategy does not belong to this ministry alone, but is a national framework in which all state institutions work together," he concluded.