An Unpublished Report on the Lebanese Government's Unpaid Debts
L’Œuvre d’Orient has released a previously unpublished report on the Lebanese government’s unpaid debts to private nonprofit organizations and institutions, shedding light on the scale of the crisis affecting the Lebanese people. This financial loss, estimated at $150 million, affects 254 institutions—including semi-subsidized schools, orphanages, hospitals, centers for people with disabilities, and nursing homes—and affects nearly 150,000 vulnerable people in Lebanon each year.
This unique initiative, which draws on previously unpublished maps and statistical data, is the result of exceptional collaboration among institutions of various faiths, all of which fulfill a public service mission in Lebanon: secular associations, Christian religious institutions, and Druze, Sunni, and Shia charitable organizations.
Il met en lumière le rôle central de service public que jouent ces établissements au Liban, dont l’abandon de la part de l’Etat menace leur pérennité et la prise en charge de centaine de milliers de Libanais.
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Our Recommendations
We recommend that the Lebanese public authorities:
- Commit to repaying the discounted outstanding balance by establishing a specific repayment schedule;
- Reevaluate and revise the contracts between these institutions and the government;
- Place these institutions at the center of its negotiation strategy with international donors.
We call on international donors to:
- Actively promote and support this dialogue with the Lebanese government by ensuring that assistance to private nonprofit institutions is included in their overall bilateral assistance plan.
- Recognize that support for these institutions is a crucial means of strengthening relations between Lebanon, the European Union, and international organizations such as United Nations agencies, particularly with a view to promoting stability, security, and the well-being of the Lebanese people.
This work is part of an effort based on shared responsibility and international solidarity, so that Lebanese institutions can continue to fulfill their mission in the service of human dignity.
L’Œuvre d’Orient works to uphold the dignity of Lebanon’s poorest people:
With a presence in Lebanon for more than 170 years, L’Œuvre d’Orient supports more than 200 educational, health, and social institutions.
His commitment to helping the most vulnerable is reflected in:
– Support for schools, students’ education, and the salaries of teachers whose pay is no longer enough to live on;
– Assistance for clinics, the disability sector, and hospitals treating patients;
– And providing support to families in distress or isolated seniors.
