Luca Renda of UNDP Lebanon gives a modern spin to an Ottoman Empire' old role - he wants "Mukhtars to become peace envoys for their communities"...(who said there is no brain inside UNDP?)

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Oct-04/190081-undp-mukhtars-key-to-stopping-violence.ashx#ixzz28QSeCB5e

UNDP: Mukhtars key to stopping violence
October 04, 2012 01:16 AM
By Stephen Dockery
The Daily Star
After decades of local supremacy the power of the mukhtar slipped from view during the civil war. (The Daily Star/Mahmoud Kheir)
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s lowest level administrators may prove influential in preventing conflict and building peace in the country, according to new reports issued by the U.N. Wednesday. The projects focused on how mukhtars (a term for local administrators originating in the Ottoman period), mayors and municipal council members can mediate local disputes and stop them from flaring into violence. Around 100 mayors and mukhtars were offered mediation training in addition to the conflict-resolution publications that were distributed as part of the projects. The first project traced the role of the mukhtar as it developed in Lebanese society and offered a guide as to how local leaders can provide the first line of reconciliation in community conflicts. “Mukhtars have always played an important mediation role at the local level and conflict resolutions skills have been passed on through the generations,” Luca Renda, U.N. Development Program country director, said during the launch of the report at UNESCO palace. “Mukhtars are in direct daily contact with their communities and are aware of their needs, challenges and aspirations.” A mukhtar was originally a local strongman and enforcer of Ottoman rule. In villages and towns the strength of the mukhtar was unrivaled and his word on matters was considered final. Mukhtars were tax collectors, land distributors and occasional lawmen. Since then the role of the mukhtar has changed significantly. UNDP researchers tracked the changes in the mukhtar’s responsibilities over the years through legal documents and pieced together a map of what the job was and what it became. After decades of local supremacy the power of the mukhtar slipped from view during the civil war. Many mukhtar posts weren’t filled, while others stopped carrying out their duties as the nation was gripped by years of violence. The post-war mukhtar is an elected position and a much lower profile handler of official documents. Most no longer play the major role in society that they once did. Government and U.N. officials hope that can change and that the mukhtar can be re-elevated as a key member of society. Rather than exercising power they hope that the mukhtar will serve to mediate disputes. A joint project with the UNDP, the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Interior Ministry created a guidebook and training for mukhtars to deal with disputes. The booklet emphasizes that mukhtars should listen and oversee a gradual resolution of problems through discussion. Project participants said such a method offers honorable resolutions to arguments and stops conflicts before they get out of hand. Mukhtars are “part of a fundamental strategy to reach social peace through different communities,” said head of the Mukhtars Unit at the Interior Ministry, Medhat Zayter. “The mukhtar is the ... most capable of playing a mediating role where they serve.” A second project focused on mayors and municipal councils, examining their differing roles in the resolution of disputes. The program offered dispute training for mayors, municipal council officials and mukhtars. “Through their daily work and direct contact with local communities, mayors and municipal council members play an important role in mediation, conflict prevention and conflict resolution in their localities,” Renda said.
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on October 04, 2012, on page 4.

 http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Oct-04/190081-undp-mukhtars-key-to-stopping-violence.ashx#ixzz28QSeCB5e
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

U.N. appoints Tarek Mitri head of Libya mission

The United Nations has appointed Tarek Mitri, a former minister in several Lebanese governments, as the head of the U.N. Support Mission in Libya. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon’s spokesperson said Wednesday Mitri would succeed Ian Martin who will complete his assignment on Oct. 14. Mitri held several ministerial portfolios in several Lebanese governments between 2005 and 2011. Most recently, Mitri held the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Chair on Dialogue at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, and served as a Senior Fellow at the Fares Center for Public Policy and International Affairs of the American University of Beirut.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Sep-14/187844-un-appoints-mitri-head-of-libya-mission.ashx#ixzz26RhIXFrr

(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

Robert Watkins: - UNDP has an “image problem” with some groups in Lebanon who see UNDP as a subcontracting "spy agency"

Robert Watkins: ‘Hybrid’ U.N. representative

August 02, 2011 01:17 AM

By Olivia Alabaster

The Daily Star (Lebanon)

Watkins: UNRWA“unjustly criticized.” Photo courtesy of UNDP. 8-2-2011

BEIRUT: Only 10 countries in the world require a “hybrid” United Nations representative, due to their unique mix of humanitarian, socioeconomic and political requirements. Lebanon is one such country, and Robert Watkins, fills that role. As U.N. Resident Coordinator for Lebanon he must oversee the work of the 27 agencies that work in the country. He is also U.N. Development Program Resident Representative in Lebanon and Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon. Arriving to Lebanon in February, the then-biggest obstacle was political stagnation, after the collapse of the former administration. Now that this hurdle has passed, the real work must begin. After introductory meetings, the response from the current administration has been excellent, Watkins says. “I met [Prime Minister Najib] Mikati Saturday and all of the issues that I wanted to bring to his attention, he had already raised in the ministerial statement and he reiterated in our meeting his commitment to follow up on those issues.” Those main issues, for Watkins, are issues relating to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon: the importance of the Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee, the completion of the reconstruction of the Nahr al-Bared camp, the full implementation of legislation allowing Palestinians to have access to the labor market and own property, and finding additional funds to support UNRWA, the U.N. agency which works with Palestinian refugees. “Moral support to UNRWA,” is also vital, Watkins says, as it “has been unjustly criticized over the last few months by various sectors.” A summer camp to have been led by UNRWA at Sidon’s Ain al-Hilweh camp was canceled in early July after the Popular Committees of the camp said the program was funded by the U.S. and was designed to presenting a disingenuous version of Palestinian history. Watkins also admits that the UNDP has an “image problem” with some groups. One major issue, since Watkins’ arrival, has been controversy surrounding the UNDP expert assistance program. Requested by former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri after the end of the 1975-90 Civil War in the absence of a functioning civil service, the program allows the UNDP to find and contract experts with specific technical fields to various government ministries. Staff are paid not by the U.N. but by the ministries themselves and the idea was always supposed to be temporary, allowing the government to build their own civil service. Recently it has come under criticism from some in the March 8 camp, who, in Watkins’ words, “had this completely bizarre idea that this was some kind of tentacles that the U.N. had that was controlling the Lebanese government and dictating how it would work and that money was coming from the United States … and it was the furthest thing from the truth.” Upon his arrival in Lebanon, Watkins saw that this is an unsustainable program, the continued existence of which provides no incentive to the government to reform the civil service. At Watkins’ meeting with Mikati over the weekend, the prime minister agreed, in principle, to phase out the program. This does not mean, Watkins says, that technical support from the UNDP will cease completely, and the agency will continue to recommend and contract experts in certain fields, for short-term periods, to the Lebanese government as requested. Watkins says that March 8 actors were also claiming the expert program was only working with March 14 staff. On this issue Watkins is adamant that, “We are willing to work with whatever government is in place, regardless of its political affiliations. This is completely non-politicized assistance which has been politicized by some actors.” With Mikati, Watkins also discussed the issue of electoral reform, which, he says, the prime minister “was very reassuring that it is something which is extremely high on their agenda.” Electoral reform and a wider change in governance are vital for Lebanon to develop, Watkins says, and the biggest challenge facing the country is the “very unequal distribution of wealth.” Citing the environment as a major concern, Watkins says, “Solutions are known to everyone, but because of the governance issues, it is difficult for the country to solve those problems.” “The sectarian system provides lots of challenges to governance issues … Too much of the politics of the country is rooted in sectarian affiliations rather than issues that impact the country.”

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on August 02, 2011, on page 3.

LEBANON: Aid agencies grapple with coordination issues

BEIRUT, 24 June 2008 (IRIN) - As the UN’s Palestinian aid agency UNRWA appeals for US$445 million for three years of reconstruction and recovery in and around Lebanon’s Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, a mixed picture of aid agency coordination has emerged from interviews with key players.

Speaking to IRIN ahead of the 23 June donor conference in Vienna, the director of UNRWA affairs in Lebanon, Richard Cook, expressed satisfaction with his agency’s emergency response operation, though admitted the pace of reconstruction was too slow and that coordination with other agencies “could improve”.

A key issue raised by a number of actors interviewed by IRIN was the level of participation of local Palestinian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the cluster meetings established to coordinate aid agencies’ response to the Nahr al-Bared crisis.

“Cluster meetings are held in a hotel in Tripoli [northern Lebanon], but all our directors are based in Beirut, so only local staff in Tripoli can attend the meetings,” said Leila al-Ali, director of Najdeh, a local NGO that works in and around the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, targeting primarily women and children.

“Our Tripoli staff do not all speak English, so have limited access to the meetings. The meetings should be organised in a place accessible to all.”

Separate appeal

While expressing satisfaction with the master plan for Nahr al-Bared’s reconstruction, Najdeh said UNRWA’s donor appeal left some gaps unfilled, prompting the local agency to launch its own appeal to donors on 19 June for $2.5m to cover health, education, economic and rights needs.

Some international agencies criticised the absence of key non-UN actors from the UNRWA appeal.

“It is a shame that all the organisations and actors working in Nahr al-Bared were not able to put together a consolidated appeal to give donors an overall picture,” said Ulla Backlund, country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in Lebanon, which has been aiding reconstruction in the camp.

“All the actors should have been given the chance to see where their experience could be best put to use for the good of the beneficiaries.”

Responding to the criticism, Pablo Ruiz, a recovery adviser at the UN Development Programme (UNDP), attending the Vienna conference, said: “The entire process for planning and reconstruction has been very participatory and very inclusive, and we see this document being presented to donors as a consolidated appeal.”

All interviewees expressed concern that the level of complexity in terms of political, security, social and legal issues around the status of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and rebuilding the currently accessible areas of Nahr al-Bared, in which UNRWA has no legal remit to operate, was hampering coordination.

Richard Cook, director of UNRWA affairs in Lebanon, admitted that coordination with other agencies "could improve"
“Confusion” over status of new camp

“The status of the new camp creates a lot of confusion and has an impact on coordination,” said Bassem Chit of Lebanon Support, an information service aimed at supporting humanitarian efforts, which is directly involved with Nahr al-Bared.

“There is general coordination and information is good, but there are still lots of gaps. The participation of local NGOs in cluster meetings is quite low and decisions are taken outside the meetings; the same problem as in Iraq,” he said.

Chit warned of the dangers of the plethora of agencies operating in and around Nahr al-Bared not coordinating on a comprehensive strategy.

“The issue is not to create more inequality by having one NGO fix only 20 percent of the camp to a high standard, but leave the rest at a low standard,” he said. “It is much better to raise standards across the board as a collective process across the clusters. This is not happening.”

OCHA

Several actors highlighted the absence of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) from Lebanon since its short deployment to the country during the July War in 2006.

Jamie McGoldrick, head of OCHA’s Humanitarian Reform Support Unit in Geneva, told IRIN he agreed that cooperation between agencies could always be improved. “Basically when faced with a new emergency, it is very difficult to implement clusters, which are a new approach. This has been adapted and brought to Lebanon. It is a new culture, a new way of collaborating and responding and it will take time for those agencies to understand roles and responsibilities,” he said.

McGoldrick also said some of the issues raised by local NGOs were of a longstanding nature. “The issue of language, for example: We have faced this since the first time clusters were used in the Pakistan earthquake. But we are working on them and over time we will overcome them. The most important thing is that we expect those NGOs who feel excluded and have issues to bring this to the attention of cluster leads.”

Challenges

The UN Resident Coordinator’s Office has been supporting UNRWA’s coordination efforts from the onset of the crisis.

“The reconstruction of Nahr al-Bared raises a number of challenges, legally, politically and in terms of mandate… Though coordination has improved, more can be done,” said Fernando Hiraldo, adviser to the UN resident coordinator in Lebanon.

“We hope the Vienna donor conference opens a new phase where the financial resources needed for the reconstruction of the camp and the implementation of the different components submitted to donors are clearly explained.”

hm/ar/cb

Dervis orders his office in Lebanon to fix website, while infiltrated hizbollah elements in Lebanon office continue to quote wrong facts on 2006 war

After the publication of the UNDP's omitting the existence of Israel bordering Lebanon and despite immediate move from Kemal Dervis office to order fix-es on the UNDP Lebanon Website (click here) , infiltrated Hezbollah elements in UNDP Lebanon continue to state wrongfully facts about the war of 2006.

UNDP Lebanon continue to state that:

Moreover, the war by Israel against Lebanon in July 2006 was devastating to
the economy.

The continuing denial of UNDP to officially recognize Israel, and the truth of who waged war on whom in 2006, is a sign that UNDP's problems continue to persist and are rather structured deep in its management.

UNDP management is totally silent during the last 18 months of political crisis that have embraced Lebanon from the Hezbollah and Syrian backers who don't want to elect a president and are pushing the country to the verge of major economic and social chaos.

United Nations Secretariat have a complete different picture of the situation in Lebanon and 2006 war.

UNDP Watch is taking the liberty to quote from UN's main website version of the war:(http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unifil/background.html)

“New hostilities on the Israeli-Lebanese Border started on 12 July 2006 when
Hizbollah launched several rockets from Lebanese Territory across the BlueLine
towards IDF positions . . . In parallel, Hezbollah fighters crossed the Blueline
and attacked an Israeli patrol and captured two Israeli soldiers, killed three
others and wounded two more".