International donors have required serious commitments from Lebanon to implement reforms and fight corruption through a clear follow-up mechanism.
Sources observing the preparations for the upcoming Cedre Conference, which will be held in Paris on Friday, said donors have stressed the need for sharp commitments by the Lebanese government to launch reform and anti-corruption projects and adopt a well-defined mechanism to oversee the implementation process.
Lebanon is betting on international concern, the government’s completion of the public budget for the first time in 11 years and on its reform programs submitted at the preparatory meeting, hoping to raise up to $22 billion.
French sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the donors would be very strict in following up the Lebanese performance and how to deal with these funding plans, which will last for six years, including two years devoted to the study of the hundreds of projects submitted, and four years of execution.
The discussions revealed a key demand to adopt a “follow-up mechanism” to ensure that the government is serious about implementing two issues: reforms and fighting corruption.
According to an official statement, the conference will include the five permanent members of the Security Council and the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) plus Egypt, nine countries in the European Union and other major countries such as India, Brazil, South Korea, in addition to the European Union and the Arab League, and representatives from the International Monetary Fund, the Arab Monetary Fund and the Islamic Development Bank.
The Lebanese government aims to achieve four main objectives. The first is to raise the value of public investments by focusing on rehabilitating infrastructure and launching new projects, which will provide thousands of jobs according to government estimates, while the second objective is to ensure economic stability by reducing the state budget deficit by 5 percent for the next five years.
The government also aims to develop a strategy for the production sector and accelerate the pace of structural reforms of the country.
