Marking the launch of the “Coalition for Energy Governance” (CEG) in Lebanon, the founding members held a press conference via Zoom, on Monday January 25, 2021, attended by representatives of civil society organizations and media personnel.
The conference kicked off with a short video presentation introducing the coalition, its goals, its affiliates, and its founding members.
Following the presentation, CEG National Coordinator, Mr. Julien Courson, delivered an address in which he said: “The coalition was established to be supportive of the general policy of the oil and gas sector in Lebanon, by means of promoting governance, improving transparency and accountability in the energy sector in general, and oil and gas in particular, and achieving sustainable development for future generations, all of which to be attained by empowering and developing the organizational capabilities of Lebanese CSOs and supporting the role of Lebanese organizations in local and international initiatives.”
“The coalition aims to empower CSOs to carry out their monitoring role and pursue their activism, advocate good governance in the energy sector, and push towards enhancing transparency and accountability,” he added.
MENA Senior Regional Coordinator at Publish What You Pay (PWYP), Dr. Pierre Saade, in turn underlined “the importance of focusing on supporting a coalition of multidisciplinary civil society organizations… Most importantly, the recent Lebanese coalition’s joining to the international PWYP coalition consolidates the former’s credibility, ensures protection and support for its members, and paves the way for future participations in regional and international forums and activities.”
Saade also announced the Publish What You Pay project funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) for a three-year term, “with the aim to support the Lebanese coalition in which establishment the PWYP has been a major contributor, in view of its keenness and its unyielding efforts to maintain an open and transparent sector subject to accountability.” In conclusion, Saade stressed that creating a public space and a platform for dialogue and consultations between the various stakeholders in the sector was indeed the fruit of their labor and the goal they aspired to achieve through their work.
It is noteworthy that the Coalition for Energy Governance was established in July 2020 with the support of the global Publish What You Pay coalition. It includes nine non-governmental organizations and Lebanese social institutions active and effective in the oil and gas sector, and in upholding the right to access environmental and economic information and policies with the aim of joining forces to bolster governance, enhance transparency, and activate the performance of various stakeholders in the sector. The coalition consists of the following stakeholders: The “Lebanese Transparency Association (LTA) – No Corruption”, the “Lebanese Association for Taxpayers’ Rights (ALDIC),” the “Lebanese Oil and Gas Initiative (LOGI),” the “Diaries of the Ocean” association, the “Gherbal Initiative”, the “Organization for Petroleum and Energy Sustainability” in Lebanon (OPES), the “Justice Without Borders” organization, the “Kulluna Irada” organization, and the “Publish What You Pay (PWYP)” Club at Notre Dame University (NDU).
The conference was concluded with a Q&A session during which the audience was given the chance to further obtain information about the coalition and its purposes.
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