Resources

Policy Brief | August 2014
Economic Impacts of Adopting a Sustainable Transport System in Beirut by Mazen Omran, Johnny Ojeil, and Youssef Fawaz
​The current congestion levels in the Beirut Central District (BCD) are not acceptable. These levels are expected to get worse with further development proposed in the BCD and New Waterfront District. Beirut will not be able to economically compete with other cities as it is lacking a comprehensive multi-modal transport system. One way to improve this situation is by introducing a more sustainable transportation system. In addition to reducing...

Policy Brief | August 2014
The Experience of AUC and the Need for Public Transportation for New Cairo, Egypt by Richard Tutwiler, Hagar Eldidi, Yumna Kassim, and Andrew Petrovich
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IFI’s Climate Change and Environment in the Arab World Program, launched in 2008, has been tracking and framing climate change international negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - in particular to what pertains to Lebanon and Arab countries. Key members of the program have attended nearly all the Conferences of the Parties (COP) as part of the official Lebanese delegation since COP 15 in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2009. From this exposure, it has become apparent that literature on the history of the involvement of key Arab countries in the past 20...

Walking, it has been said, is the ultimate form of sustainable public transportation. Beirut, however, is one of the most pedestrian unfriendly cities in the world. Many streets do not even have sidewalks, and where they exist, they are often broken, or obstructed, or hazardous when wet. In 2010, two units at AUB, the Neighborhood Initiative and the Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service, joined forces to design Beirut’s first barrier-free walkway on Jeanne d’Arc Street, a major thoroughfare in the university’s neighborhood. For more information check out IFI's Sustainable...

Policy Brief | August 2014
Jeanne d’Arc Street; A Model Pedestrian-Friendly Street for all of Beirut by Cynthia Myntti and
Mounir Mabsout
Walking, it has been said, is the ultimate form of sustainable public transportation. Beirut, however, is one of the most pedestrian unfriendly cities in the world. Many streets do not even have sidewalks, and where they exist, they are often broken, or obstructed, or hazardous when wet. In 2010, two units at AUB, the Neighborhood Initiative and the Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service, joined forces to design Beirut’s first barrier-free walkway...

The world’s transport sector still suffers from unsustainable trends that lead to increased levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. There have been efforts, in the Arab world, the United States and Europe, as well as the rest of the world, to tackle the issue. Much work remains to reach a sustainable transport system in the Arab world, but the recommendations presented offer basic guidelines on how to proceed with any sustainable transportation initiative. For more information check out IFI's Sustainable Transportation Series

Policy Brief | August 2014
Sustainable Transportation in the Arab World: International Benchmarking on Sustainable Transport Policies and their Impacts by Issam Kaysi and Farid Chaaban
​The world’s transport sector still suffers from unsustainable trends that lead to increased levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. There have been efforts, in the Arab world, the United States and Europe, as well as the rest of the world, to tackle the issue. Much work remains to reach a sustainable transport system in the Arab world, but the recommendations presented offer basic guidelines on how to proceed...

Policy Brief | August 2014
Sustainable Transportation and Mega Sporting Events in Arab Countries: the Case of Qatar by Robert Wittkuhn and Danyel Reiche
​As a motive for hosting mega sporting events, Qatar is highlighting their catalyst effect for planned infrastructure developments. Qatar plans on building intra-city, inter-city and inter-state road and railway networks for the FIFA 2022 initially, and further national use. The planned transportation construction could potentially be sustainable, but the social and political buildup of Qatar hinders such a development; especially when...

Research Report | July 2014
History of Climate Change Negotiations and the Arab Countries The Case of Egypt by Ibrahim Abdel Gelil
Even though Egypt’s share of Global Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) emissions is less than 1 %, Egypt has proved to be one of the most vulnerable countries to the potential risks of climate change. The most vulnerable sectors include coastal zones, water resources, and agriculture. Estimates show that a Sea Level Rise would lead to the permanent submersion of large areas of cropland in the Nile Delta, and accelerate the trend of desertification that is worsening the...

Working Paper | June 2014
Climate Change in Lebanon: Higher-order Regional Impacts from Agriculture by Nadim Farajalla, Eduardo A. Haddad, Marina Camargo, Ricardo Lopes, and Flavio Vieira
This working paper analyzes the susceptibility of agricultural outputs to future climate change in Lebanon, and the extent to which it propagates to the economic system as a whole. A methodological framework in which physical and economic models are integrated for assessing the higher-order economic impacts of projected climate changes is used. The researchers then quantify the broader economic impacts in the...

Policy Memo | June 2014
Social Cohesion and Intergroup Relations: Syrian Refugees and Lebanese Nationals in the Bekaa and Akkar by Charles Harb and Reem Saab
The growing influx of Syrian refugees to Lebanon has strained its socio-economic fabric, piling pressure on employment opportunities, housing, trade, and infrastructure capacities (basic services). Tensions between Syrian refugees and their Lebanese host communities have led to intercommunity clashes, and it thus becomes imperative to identify the indicators of social instability and ways to reduce them. A research project initiated by...

Research Report | May 2014
Relative Deprivation and Politics in the Arab Uprisings by Asya el-Meehy
This study seeks to assess the relative weights of economic and political grievances across the uprisings in Bahrain, Egypt, and Tunisia. Highlighting the unique shared role of middle class youth, it contends that these constituencies have suffered from relative deprivation, despite deliberate efforts by authoritarian regimes to shield them through new targeted social protection initiatives. Nonetheless, economic grievances were not always the primary driving dynamic of protests and the...

This study seeks to assess the relative weights of economic and political grievances across the uprisings in Bahrain, Egypt, and Tunisia. Highlighting the unique shared role of middle class youth, it contends that these constituencies have suffered from relative deprivation, despite deliberate efforts by authoritarian regimes to shield them through new targeted social protection initiatives. Nonetheless, economic grievances were not always the primary driving dynamic of protests and the importance of the middle classes has varied compared to the roles of the poor, labor, and pro-democracy...

Research Report | April 2014
Impact of Population Growth and Climate Change on Water Scarcity, Agricultural Output and Food Security
This research project brought together several teams from across multiple countries to conduct a review and analysis on a wide range of complex, interconnected topics. Any one of these issues (e.g. climate change, population dynamics, food security and water security) can allow for vast and deep exploration. Seeking to integrate the concepts into unified analysis that is comprehensive and coherent is both exceptionally challenging and incredibly necessary. By...

Research Report | April 2014
Impact of Population Growth and Climate Change on Water Scarcity, Agricultural Output and Food Security
This research project brought together several teams from across multiple countries to conduct a review and analysis on a wide range of complex, interconnected topics. Any one of these issues (e.g. climate change, population dynamics, food security and water security) can allow for vast and deep exploration. Seeking to integrate the concepts into unified analysis that is comprehensive and coherent is both exceptionally challenging and incredibly necessary. By...

تسعى هذه الدراسة الى ما يعبّر عنه عنوانها: إثبات وجود تراتب اجتماعي في لبنان يقوم على المواقع المتفاوتة لسكانه من الاقتصاد والموارد والدخل والثروة وعلاقات الإنتاج والملكية. بعبارة أخرى، نريد منها إعادة الاعتبار لمفهوم الطبقة في إنتاج المعارف عن المجتمع والسلطة في لبنان

يتناول هذا التقرير حالة الإفلات من العقاب في لبنان التي ما زالت سائدة منذ حرب 1975-1990 وذلك من خلال العناصر الأساسية للعدالة الانتقالية. ويحلل التقرير تجربة لبنان في الماضي المعنية بتدابير العدالة الانتقالية غير الفعّالة - بما في ذلك التجارب المحلية المحدودة، ولجان تقصي الحقائق المحدودة الصلاحيات، وسبل الانصاف الغير مكتملة للضحايا - وتأثيرها على المجتمع اللبناني. ويتناول التقرير الدروس التي يمكن أن تساعد على الشروع في عملية محاسبة أوسع في لبنان والتي تساهم في احلال السلام والأمن على المدى الطويل

يمثل مؤتمر جنيف 2 فرصة حاسمة لجعل قضايا المرأة جزءاً لايتجزأ من عملية السلام السورية. المقابلات التي أجريناها مع ناشطات فاعلات في هذا المجال بينت أن المجموعات والمنظمات النسائية السورية تنظر إلى جنيف 2 على أنه فرصة هامة لخلق مشاركة نسائية فاعلة. لكنهن أبدون شكوكا حول قدرة المؤتمر على تحقيق نتائج إيجابية خاصةً أنهن ما يزلن مستبعدات من المشاركة في عملية السلام حتى الآن على الرغم من أن كافة الأبحاث والخبرات المستقاة من عمليات السلام الأخرى تشير إلى ان مشاركة النساء في جنيف 2 ستكون هامة وحاسمة لاطلاق عملية سلام مستدامة. يسعى هذا التقرير البحثي لتقديم لمحة عامة عن الوضع الحالي للمنظمات النسائية...

Global civil society alliance, CIVICUS, has released a revised version of what is probably the world’s most comprehensive compilation of commitments made by governments on civil society rights. Originally released in 2008, and now fully updated, the compendium consolidates various international standards and commitments made by governments at the regional and global levels to protect civil society and ensure participation in public processes. In addition to collating relevant portions of major UN documents, the compendium also includes commitments made by regional bodies such as the Arab...

The Geneva II conference which begins on January 22 represents a crucial opportunity for gender issues to be integrated into the Syrian peace process. Research conducted with key stakeholders indicate that women’s groups view the Geneva II conference as an important opportunity for meaningful women’s participation. They are skeptical however of the likelihood of positive outcomes of the conference, especially given the exclusion of women thus far in the peace process. Despite this, research conducted by Integrity, as well as analyses from other transition processes, suggests that women’s...