The local governments are the only direct bodies concerned with providing services to citizens and are the most aware of their problems. Therefore, they should have full authority to address these problems, mainly through the application of global agendas that work to improve people's lives and make them better and to achieve sustainable development in an understandable local form that is close to people's interests and away from pretentious slogans that do not serve the desired goal. The local governments are effective mediators and are able to record direct achievements because they stem from people's concerns and interests.
As the Union of Dannieh Municipalities' president since 2004, I believed that global agendas and Human Rights will guide me to assure development with the citizens' complete cooperation. So I started by adhering to the principle of transparency by developing a website "Dannieh.com", where I posted all data pertaining to my actions, costs, and other efforts to keep people informed. As a result, the Lebanese Transparency Association and later Transparency International awarded me a first degree in transparency in Lebanon and the Middle East, what brings accountability and gets the people more open and engaged.
In my capacity as the head of the Union of Dannieh Municipalities since its establishment in 2004, in a region considered the most deprived in Lebanon, despite its richness in natural resources, I began to apply new ways of development in Lebanon, represented in elaborating the strategic plan that I carried out in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program and some of the donors, resulting in 193 essential projects for the development of this region. What worried me the most was the lack of resources, so I worked on integrating youth and women as a human force that helped me achieve development and improve their condition, and thus the state of the region. Therefore, my main motive was, in addition to raising the level of the region, to put it on the development map and benefit from the energies it enjoys through participatory methodology, transparency, and democracy.
This effort later bore fruit during the COVID-19 crisis, when I initiated a new approach to cooperation rooted in volunteerism and solidarity with young people. I established 15 committees in partnership with civil society, with the main goal of leveraging existing capacities across various fields to deliver essential services. Our focus areas include accessibility, accountability, the fight against racism, climate and environmental awareness, cultural rights, and the promotion of a human rights culture. These elements are among the most vital pillars of human rights, enabling us to achieve meaningful and lasting impact.
- Participatory approach/ youth- women
- Transparency, access to the information, accountability, monitoring and evaluation
- Democracy