Project profile — Integrating Gender Equality into Lebanese Institutions

This project aims to improve the lives of Lebanese and Syrian women and girls by strengthening the capacity of key national and local government institutions and Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP) implementing partners to support gender-responsible policy making. The project also works to integrate gender into the LCRP to ensure that development and humanitarian efforts consider the experiences, needs, and contributions of women and girls. Project activities include: (1) providing technical support and capacity building for gender mainstreaming to national institutions, ministries, municipalities and LCRP implementing partners; and (2) developing in-focus briefs and guidance notes to inform advocacy on particular topics from a gender perspective, such as gender-based violence, economic inclusion, empowerment and voices in decision-making, capacities for reconciliation, and conflict resolution.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) strengthened institutional mechanisms and policies for improving and promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls; and (2) strengthened capacity of the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan partners, particularly civil society organizations, including women rights organizations, to deliver a more gender-based response to the impact of the crisis through policies, strategies, programmes, and projects.

Results achieved as of January 2025 include: (1) targeted national institutions developed and adopted 15 measures, including policies, papers, and internal decrees aimed at improving the legal status of women and girls, reducing gender-based violence, and promoting gender equality. These institutions include the Ministries of Economy and Trade, Interior and Municipalities, Finance, and Parliament; (2) conducted 84 gender capacity-building sessions targeting national ministries, reaching 166 staff (102 women); (3) 9 out of 10 Lebanon Crisis Response Plan sectors reached the highest possible gender and age marker. These sectors include livelihoods, social stability, basic assistance, energy, food security, water, education, health, protection and shelter; (4) supported 277 international non-governmental organizations, national non-governmental organizations, and United Nations agencies implementing the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan to participate in capacity-building sessions; and (5) produced 23 gender briefings and analyses to support implementing the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan.