The Waste Management Coalition In Lebanon

 

The Waste Management Coalition In Lebanon
Advocacy Case Study Analysis

CASE STUDIES IN LEBANESE CIVIL SOCIETY ADVOCACY

Within the framework of the USAID Baladi CAP project, Counterpart International supported a research project on civil society advocacy in Lebanon, with the goal of broadening the democratic space for citizen participation in public affairs by creating platforms for informed public debate and increased citizen engagement outside of sectarian and confessional lines. Selected through an open competition, BRD undertook a mapping of advocacy campaigns in Lebanon 2013-18 and together with Counterpart developed five case studies in an effort to highlight best practices and common factors contributing to civil society advocacy’s success or failure and enhancing an understanding of the needs of CSOs working on advocacy to further advance rights and reform in Lebanon.

CASE STUDY CAMPAIGN ISSUE AND CONTEXT

Lebanon's solid waste crisis began in the early 1990s, reached a pinnacle in 2015 and continues today due to successive temporary fixes, emergency plans and a weak integrated policy framework. Established in 2017, the Waste Management Coalition (WMC) is a coalition of civil society activists, experts, non-governmental organizations, and community groups joining forces to address mismanagement in the sector, as well as lobby and campaign for integrated waste management planning at the national and sub-national level.

WMC members include: Arab Youth Climate Movement, Cedar Environmental, Beirut Madinati , Operation Big Blue Association, Green area, Diaries of the Ocean, Froz, Chreek, “Sohit Wledna”, “You Stink”, “Al MArsad Al Sha’bi Li Muharabat Al Fasad”, “Muntada Insan”, “Shoeifat Madinati”, “Tajamo’ Al Bi’iyeen”, “Nida’ Al Ard Khatt Ahmar”. Today the coalition remains at the forefront of the battle against the approval of incinerators, the current solution being proposed by the Lebanese government under the guise of “thermal degradation”.