Local First: Local Leadership in Times of Crisis
On September 9, SALAR International organised a conference entitled "Local First: Local Leadership in Times of Crisis", in collaboration with the Environment and Sustainable Development Unit (ESDU) at the American University of Beirut. The conference highlighted the learnings from SALAR International’s work in Lebanon.
Over the past seven years in Akkar, the Reslog project has supported partner municipalities and Union of Municipalities by providing digital transformation, enhancing crisis management and preparedness, and building bridges between Lebanese and Syrian communities and local authorities through strengthened community engagement.
The conference featured panel discussions addressing digital transformation and its importance in improving the performance of local authorities, as well as the role of youth and local communities in crisis response and in finding practical solutions.
The event concluded with a discussion on the future of local authorities in the context of digital transformation, stressing the importance of data-driven planning. In addition, several publications were shared that summarize the experiences of the Reslog project in local development.
The event was attended by H.E. Dr. Kamal Chehade, Minister of the Displaced and Minister of State for Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence, Mrs Director General of Local Administrations and Councils, (DGLAC), Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, along with several administrators, presidents of municipal unions and municipalities from Akkar, as well as experts in the field of local governance.