Localisation efforts in Lebanon have been ongoing since the end of the civil war in 1990 and have gained new momentum following the launch of the Grand Bargain in 2016. The country has a strong and established peacebuilding sector, and donors have made efforts to strengthen local and institutional capacity for peacebuilding and social stability work. Several localisation mechanisms are already in place, including the Localisation Taskforce and National Localisation Framework.
Since October 2023, local civil society and peacebuilding interventions in Lebanon have shifted focus to address the immediate needs of people affected by violence and displacement. The conflict has intensified political divides and socio-economic pressures in a country already fractured by political and economic instability.
As Lebanon continues to rebuild itself after the war, there is a growing need to understand how to effectively support peace, healing and social stability in the long term. This cannot be achieved unless local voices are amplified and included in decision making and programme designs.
This paper provides critical insights to donors, international, national and local NGOs, and civil society organisations on how to effectively support localisation in peacebuilding work in Lebanon. It incorporates analysis and recommendations from the research based on interviews, focus groups, surveys and workshops.
The research in Lebanon concluded in July 2024, two months before the hostilities in the South expanded into a war affecting the whole country.
