IREX-Sponsored Coalition Unites Youth, Community Leaders across Lebanon
July 13, 2009
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Lebanese citizens are fed up with the level of corruption in their country. According to Transparency International’s 2008 Corruptions Perceptions Index, the country is rated 102 out of 180. The strongest advocates for transparency and anti-corruption measures are often youth, who, when unified, can share strategies and take a comprehensive approach to addressing national issues.
On May 9, IREX and its local partner the Lebanese Transparency Association (LTA) launched the Lebanese Youth Coalition against Corruption (LYCAC), beginning its work as a nationwide, multi-confessional youth organization promoting transparency and good governance. The participating youth hail from seven of Lebanon’s most volatile regions and represent 14 different religious sects.
Over 250 people attended the launch, including Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, who conveyed the well wishes of Lebanese President Michel Sleiman. LYCAC, an IREX- and LTA-sponsored initiative, is a network of more than 500 youth involved in an array of good governance and anti-corruption activities.
The LYCAC launch at Beirut’s Metropolitan Hotel publicly united local NGOs, media members, central government figures, and local authorities in their common commitment to fight corruption. Beirut journalist Neshan Der Haroutiounian underscored the urgency of LYCAC’s efforts, telling the audience that “corruption has become so anchored in our society that there is a tremendous need for such a coalition.”
Prominent female lawyer Nada Abdel Sater Abu Samra stressed the role of youth-led grassroots efforts in helping Lebanon address its challenges independently. LTA Board Member Dr. Yahya Hakim and IREX Program Manager Peter Salloum also spoke, discussing the need for a new “culture of transparency” in promoting more effective, efficient leadership. Minister Baroud praised the participants, both for their presentations and the caliber of their community projects.
IREX awarded 28 of the youth leaders small grants to carry out a diverse series of anti-corruption community mobilization projects, such as sporting tournaments that bring youth from diverse backgrounds together to learn about effective leadership and good governance, exhibitions where local youth express their opposition to corruption through art and initiate discussions on this critical issue, and university campus activism that pressures university administration to improve the quality of services offered at their institution.
The LYCAC launch was a critical early step towards establishing a lasting, youth-led organization able to sustain itself and carry out anti-corruption advocacy efforts across Lebanon. The LYCAC network is the first of its kind – uniting youth across sectarian divides to tackle corruption in communities throughout the country. IREX and its partner LTA – Transparency International’s local chapter – are addressing this critical problem by mobilizing youth to demand better governance through grassroots and community-driven initiatives.
IREX promotes activism among young leaders to address corruption and bad governance in Lebanon through the Youth Civil Society and Leadership Program (YCSL), a program of US Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
