Talking Interoperability #15 – Lebanon

The 15th Talking Interoperability session demonstrated how Lebanon’s digitalization supports the efficient delivery of social protection in challenging contexts.  Lebanon, facing multiple crises, took an exemplary approach and managed to initiate the establishment of a secure digital Social Registry (the DAEM).  Lebanon has suffered from decades of civil war and is facing the 3rd most severe financial and economic crises recorded in recent history with the influx of refugees constituting 25% of its population. The country is experiencing a rise in poverty and vulnerability due to multiple crises that began in late 2019. World Bank projections indicate that more than half of the population may have fallen below the poverty line in the past two years. This situation has been worsened by increased unemployment, reduced civil servants’ salaries, and a large informal economy that lacks social protection. Driven to assist those in need, the country registered half of its population within 2 months and started to deliver cash to its poorest and the most vulnerable segments through the Emergency Social Safety Net Project.