Peace & Security

Aiming to transform political discussions from sectarian to content-oriented policy change, FES pushes, along with its local partners, towards a national discourse on social justice, workers’ rights, feminism, inclusion, and secularism. Rather than be passive observers, citizens should hold decision makers accountable and push for their demands.

Areas of interest include labor unions, personal status laws, women’s rights and participation, and secular progressive political groups.

Lebanon is a country largely dominated by the centrality of its capital Beirut, especially on economic and political levels. This center-periphery discrepancy is manifested in political marginalization and socioeconomic underdevelopment, clearly highlighted for example in the cities of Tripoli and Baalbek. The competition over central state resources by sectarian parties has also resulted in a barely functional consociational system with severe constraints of democratic processes.

In an effort to push for more local control over decision-making and administering of resources, FES cooperates with initiatives focused on decentralization, local governance models, participatory decision making, and community involvement.