The inclusion of civil society in the governance and implementation of the 3RF is one of its core principles. Civil society is therefore represented in the 3RF Consultative Group, the Lebanon Financing Facility’s Partnership Council and the Independent Oversight Board.
Comprised of representatives of the civil society and other institutions, the Independent Oversight Board serves as an independent mechanism that oversees 3RF implementation and holds its stakeholders (i.e., government, civil society, development partners, and implementing organizations) accountable for the overall progress.
Six civil society representatives were appointed to the Independent Oversight Board of the 3RF, following a call for expression of interest. These are: Diana Menhem, Managing Director of Kulluna Irada; Julien Courson, Executive Director of the Lebanese Transparency Association – No Corruption; Roula Mikael, Founder and Executive Director of the Maharat Foundation; Grace Eid, Board Member and Treasurer of Nusaned; Fadel Fakih, Executive Director of the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH); and Carine Tohme, Board Member of the Lebanese Association for Taxpayers’ Rights (ALDIC).
The membership of Kulluna Irada, Lebanese Transparency Association - No Corruption and Maharat Foundation has ended. The 3RF is in the process of recruiting three new organizations to replace them.
FUNCTIONS
- Deliver credible, non-partisan descriptions of the 3RF processes and assessments of its guiding principles, in particular: (a) inclusion and leaving no one behind, (b) transparency, accountability and anti-corruption, and (c) two-way communication and community-based outreach;
- Conduct independent review and validation of the 3RF’s implementation progress by issuing regular opinions, recommendations or reports notably on progress in the implementation of policy actions and reforms;
- Monitor the implementation of the Consultative Group’s decisions and follow up actions;
- Provide policy recommendations to the 3RF Consultative Group, based on findings from civil society, and on inputs from the 3RF Secretariat, including audit reports;
- Advise on and provide recommendations on the design and terms of reference of mid-term reviews and final evaluations of the 3RF and the Lebanon Financing Facility, and contribute to these processes;
- Provide technical recommendations to the 3RF Secretariat on the operationalization of activities related to communications, citizen engagement, community monitoring and transparency (including potential corruption risks) and suggest priority areas for action. For example, the Independent Oversight Board could recommend that Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) be conducted for a specific sector, or a social audit for a project. It could also recommend that an entity be audited, or that targeted/additional communication and outreach may be required to better reach Lebanese citizens;
- Encourage and promote the use of 3RF’s citizen engagement, complaints’ handling and whistleblower mechanisms;
- Review the Grievance Redress Mechanism’s (GRM) data (e.g., numbers, uptake and resolution trends) and actions, including the resolution of complaints and the overall quality of compensations;
- Communicate decisions, findings, achievements, and concerns to the wider public by sharing regular and timely information on the 3RF including progress assessments, findings, recommendations, signed Conflict of Interest disclosures, etc.
MEMBERSHIP
The Independent Oversight Board comprises six members with diverse expertise on the 3RF pillars, in line with 3RF principles of gender parity and inclusiveness and diversity.
Members of the Independent Oversight Board will rotate on a yearly basis with the rotation of half of its members to ensure overlap between one Board and another.
Membership in the Independent Oversight Board will be on a pro bono basis.
Members of the Independent Oversight Board were selected based on an open, transparent process, taking into account the expertise, capacity and non-partisanship status of both the representatives and the nominating civil society organizations following a Call for Expression of Interest launched on April 28, 2021.
To ensure a smooth handover for future cohorts of IOB members, the current six members, in consultation with the 3RF Secretariat and Technical Team, drafted a governance charter to clarify the scope of their role.
is an advocacy group committed to political reform in Lebanon. It is engaged in defining the foundations of a modern, sustainable and just state, and in uniting local and international actors around this vision to create momentum for change. It pairs extensive policy expertise (e.g. on issues of economic and financial reforms, transparency and accountability, judicial reforms, electricity sector and the oil & gas sector), with civil society engagement and advocacy tools. Kulluna Irada is represented by Managing Director Diana Menhem.
advocates for reform by focusing on systemic improvement and by building coalitions with other anti-corruption stakeholders, including the government, parliamentarians, the private sector, media institutions, the international community and civil society organizations. It is the Lebanese chapter of Transparency International (TI). The Lebanese Transparency Association – No Corruption is represented by Executive Director Julien Courson.
is a women-led Beirut based organization acting as a catalyst, defending and advancing the development of democratic societies governed by the values of freedom of expression, access to information and respect for human rights. Maharat Foundation operates Maharat News, an independent, online, multimedia platform, providing evidence-based information on issues of accountability. Maharat’s mission is to defend, catalyze, and advance democratic values of freedom of expression, access to information, and respect for human rights. Maharat Foundation is represented by Founder and Executive Director, Roula Mikael.
has been supporting marginalized communities all over Lebanon with a vision to empower them to become self-sustaining, since its inception in May 2020. Nusaned supports the underserved communities and vulnerable groups based on a non-biased, egalitarian, and value-based needs assessment process, and this is implemented through a participatory and collaborative approach involving different stakeholders. Nusaned is represented by its board member and treasurer, Grace Eid.
is a local non-profit, non-partisan Lebanese human rights organization based in Beirut. CLDH was created in 2006 by the Franco-Lebanese Movement SOLIDA (Support for Lebanese Detained Arbitrarily), which had been active since 1996 in the struggle against arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, and the impunity of those perpetrating gross human rights violations. CLDH is represented by its Executive Director, Fadel Fakih.
ALDIC’s initial mission is to serve the general interest and protect the taxpayers’ rights. ALDIC strives to promote tax ethics and compliance and informs citizens about their rights and obligations. It advocates for citizens’ rights and seeks greater control of the public over the management of public funds at all levels of the administration. The association strives to serve the general interest and offers, through its expertise, to work and collaborate with public authorities for an overhaul of fiscal and tax systems in force. It is a place of cooperation, exchange and initiatives which focuses on knowledge, financial literacy and citizenship in fiscal matters, good governance, transparency, and accountability. ALDIC is presented by its board member, Carine Tohme.