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Lebanon

LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening Independent Media in the Arab Region

Material outputs are most useful when they hold long-term temporal value and become staple references, such as the Human Rights Code of Ethics for North Africa and the Middle East (JHR code of ethics for human rights journalists on a regional level). In this case, the Implementing Partner relies on synergies with its other projects and thus far has increased signatories committed to the code by 100% beyond target.

Project Name
Strengthening Independent Media in the Arab Region
Project Partner
Journalist for Human Rights
Project Description

The project aims to strengthen independent media in the Arab region so as to build greater accountability and better governance, by improving the working environment for journalists; advancing media freedom and accessible information and data; enhancing the capacity of freelance and full-time journalists to cover sensitive human rights stories; and improving journalists’ legal knowledge through strong working partnerships with civic actors. Project activities also incorporate responses to the Covid-19 crisis for journalists on the front line.

Report
UDF-19-853-RAS_Final.pdf
Evaluation Date
February 2025
Theme
Media
Country
Iraq
Lebanon
Morocco
Tunisia
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening Independent Media in the Arab Region

For journalism projects, access to information trainings and data-driven journalism capacity-building/sensitization workshops are essential. In all four project countries, project participants emphasized the increased difficulties in accessing information to engage in data-driven reporting to counter rampant disinformation and the positive impact of specifically catered initiatives to help access information and data.

Project Name
Strengthening Independent Media in the Arab Region
Project Partner
Journalist for Human Rights
Project Description

The project aims to strengthen independent media in the Arab region so as to build greater accountability and better governance, by improving the working environment for journalists; advancing media freedom and accessible information and data; enhancing the capacity of freelance and full-time journalists to cover sensitive human rights stories; and improving journalists’ legal knowledge through strong working partnerships with civic actors. Project activities also incorporate responses to the Covid-19 crisis for journalists on the front line.

Report
UDF-19-853-RAS_Final.pdf
Evaluation Date
February 2025
Theme
Media
Country
Iraq
Lebanon
Morocco
Tunisia
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening Independent Media in the Arab Region

Inclusive project designs that rely on human rights actors from diverse professions and backgrounds have a high potential for engaging stakeholders and local authorities. In this case, inclusive project designs in Tunisia and Lebanon allowed to effectively work with local authorities towards understanding and addressing issues related to access to information and data-driven journalism.

Project Name
Strengthening Independent Media in the Arab Region
Project Partner
Journalist for Human Rights
Project Description

The project aims to strengthen independent media in the Arab region so as to build greater accountability and better governance, by improving the working environment for journalists; advancing media freedom and accessible information and data; enhancing the capacity of freelance and full-time journalists to cover sensitive human rights stories; and improving journalists’ legal knowledge through strong working partnerships with civic actors. Project activities also incorporate responses to the Covid-19 crisis for journalists on the front line.

Report
UDF-19-853-RAS_Final.pdf
Evaluation Date
February 2025
Theme
Media
Country
Iraq
Lebanon
Morocco
Tunisia
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening Independent Media in the Arab Region

Another multi-faceted benefit of regional partnerships are the synergies that are created on the national level stemming from local partners that bring different experiences and lessons learned to the fore. In this case, the Moroccan partner focuses on producing stories in multiple vernacular languages for community-level resonance and highlights the role of communitarian media as garnering legitimacy among listeners and readers at the local level. In Tunisia, the local office brings a large network of journalists, media professionals, and engaged civic organizations to the project that helps informing on navigating complex legal frameworks governing information access.

Project Name
Strengthening Independent Media in the Arab Region
Project Partner
Journalist for Human Rights
Project Description

The project aims to strengthen independent media in the Arab region so as to build greater accountability and better governance, by improving the working environment for journalists; advancing media freedom and accessible information and data; enhancing the capacity of freelance and full-time journalists to cover sensitive human rights stories; and improving journalists’ legal knowledge through strong working partnerships with civic actors. Project activities also incorporate responses to the Covid-19 crisis for journalists on the front line.

Report
UDF-19-853-RAS_Final.pdf
Evaluation Date
February 2025
Theme
Media
Country
Iraq
Lebanon
Morocco
Tunisia
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening Independent Media in the Arab Region

An alternative strategy to foster more impactful and sustainable practices among media and civic actors in multi-country projects is to focus on specific themes of common interest, such as climate justice and gender or minority rights (which figured prominently in this project) across countries. Not only would this allow for the design of catered trainings, skill-and-capacity-building activities that focus on specific human rights areas but would sustain the network of journalists and civic actors focused on common interests regionally and internationally. In this case, project participants from different countries have been able to share experience, lessons, barriers, and solutions resulting in productive media outputs.

Project Name
Strengthening Independent Media in the Arab Region
Project Partner
Journalist for Human Rights
Project Description

The project aims to strengthen independent media in the Arab region so as to build greater accountability and better governance, by improving the working environment for journalists; advancing media freedom and accessible information and data; enhancing the capacity of freelance and full-time journalists to cover sensitive human rights stories; and improving journalists’ legal knowledge through strong working partnerships with civic actors. Project activities also incorporate responses to the Covid-19 crisis for journalists on the front line.

Report
UDF-19-853-RAS_Final.pdf
Evaluation Date
February 2025
Theme
Media
Country
Iraq
Lebanon
Morocco
Tunisia
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening Independent Media in the Arab Region

Inclusive partnership strategies and local participation during project design and at the project start-up stage are critical for more precise and consistent alignment with contemporary priorities. Consistent involvement in project implementation by local offices and coordinators is necessary to mitigate contextual challenges and effectuate activity redesign, including bottom-up involvement in the development of training materials and knowledge-sharing. In this case, the presence of country offices has been critical in mitigating project delays, changes in collaborative work with local authorities, and relying on broader networks of civic and media actors to ensure timeliness and impact. 

Project Name
Strengthening Independent Media in the Arab Region
Project Partner
Journalist for Human Rights
Project Description

The project aims to strengthen independent media in the Arab region so as to build greater accountability and better governance, by improving the working environment for journalists; advancing media freedom and accessible information and data; enhancing the capacity of freelance and full-time journalists to cover sensitive human rights stories; and improving journalists’ legal knowledge through strong working partnerships with civic actors. Project activities also incorporate responses to the Covid-19 crisis for journalists on the front line.

Report
UDF-19-853-RAS_Final.pdf
Evaluation Date
February 2025
Theme
Media
Country
Iraq
Lebanon
Morocco
Tunisia
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening Independent Media in the Arab Region

Flexibility in project design is key to successfully implemented projects in rapidly changing contexts, especially in cases of deteriorating security, war, and (previous) pandemic-related lockdowns. In this project, the Implementing Partner has been able to effectively and efficiently shift activity implementation by relying on synergies from previous UNDEF-supported activities, networks of journalists and civic actors, as well as in-kind contribution to ensure successful project continuity. 

Project Name
Strengthening Independent Media in the Arab Region
Project Partner
Journalist for Human Rights
Project Description

The project aims to strengthen independent media in the Arab region so as to build greater accountability and better governance, by improving the working environment for journalists; advancing media freedom and accessible information and data; enhancing the capacity of freelance and full-time journalists to cover sensitive human rights stories; and improving journalists’ legal knowledge through strong working partnerships with civic actors. Project activities also incorporate responses to the Covid-19 crisis for journalists on the front line.

Report
UDF-19-853-RAS_Final.pdf
Evaluation Date
February 2025
Theme
Media
Country
Iraq
Lebanon
Morocco
Tunisia
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Promoting Gender-Sensitive Personal Status Laws in Lebanon

Advocacy projects in highly complex contexts require rigorous monitoring to (i) strengthen coalitions and ties despite changes to the positions of stakeholders and changing power dynamics; and to (ii) capture and adapt to the different levels of changes that could occur.
Project Name
Promoting Gender-Sensitive Personal Status Laws in Lebanon
Project Partner
KAFA (Enough) Violence and Exploitation
Project Description
This project aims to strengthen advocacy efforts towards a gender-sensitive civil personal status law in Lebanon. It will build capacity in civil society; create a coalition of a range of actors; engage the media; educate and inform the public; and increase pressure on political parties to take action on the draft law currently being reviewed by a committee in parliament. It will build a strong foundation for a well-informed, consistent national campaign to change the current law, which threatens democracy and human rights, in particular the rights of women, children, and marginalized groups, as well as increasing political pressure on lawmakers. Project activities will also incorporate actions in response to the Covid-19 crisis, as it impacts women, including gender-based violence.
Report
UDF-18-805-LEB-Final.pdf
Evaluation Date
September 2022
Theme
Women's empowerment
Rule of law
Country
Lebanon
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Promoting Gender-Sensitive Personal Status Laws in Lebanon

External coherence and synergy between the organisation’s different projects/interventions require a minimum of formal and systematic coordination such as the collaboration that took place with a feminist platform in the case of this project.
Project Name
Promoting Gender-Sensitive Personal Status Laws in Lebanon
Project Partner
KAFA (Enough) Violence and Exploitation
Project Description
This project aims to strengthen advocacy efforts towards a gender-sensitive civil personal status law in Lebanon. It will build capacity in civil society; create a coalition of a range of actors; engage the media; educate and inform the public; and increase pressure on political parties to take action on the draft law currently being reviewed by a committee in parliament. It will build a strong foundation for a well-informed, consistent national campaign to change the current law, which threatens democracy and human rights, in particular the rights of women, children, and marginalized groups, as well as increasing political pressure on lawmakers. Project activities will also incorporate actions in response to the Covid-19 crisis, as it impacts women, including gender-based violence.
Report
UDF-18-805-LEB-Final.pdf
Evaluation Date
September 2022
Theme
Women's empowerment
Rule of law
Country
Lebanon
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Promoting Gender-Sensitive Personal Status Laws in Lebanon

There are important elements that influence the effectiveness of the implementation of an advocacy project other than the technical and financial capacity of the funded organisation. They include:
- The clarity of the organisation's internal strategy and the consistency of its positioning regarding the project’s objective.
- The credibility of the organisation and its members among CSOs and drivers of change relevant to the intervention.
- The social capital of the organization, which enables it to mobilize key stakeholders and allies in the field.
- The capacity of the organisation to analyse the political context, manage risks, and adapt activities to the situation.
Project Name
Promoting Gender-Sensitive Personal Status Laws in Lebanon
Project Partner
KAFA (Enough) Violence and Exploitation
Project Description
This project aims to strengthen advocacy efforts towards a gender-sensitive civil personal status law in Lebanon. It will build capacity in civil society; create a coalition of a range of actors; engage the media; educate and inform the public; and increase pressure on political parties to take action on the draft law currently being reviewed by a committee in parliament. It will build a strong foundation for a well-informed, consistent national campaign to change the current law, which threatens democracy and human rights, in particular the rights of women, children, and marginalized groups, as well as increasing political pressure on lawmakers. Project activities will also incorporate actions in response to the Covid-19 crisis, as it impacts women, including gender-based violence.
Report
UDF-18-805-LEB-Final.pdf
Evaluation Date
September 2022
Theme
Women's empowerment
Rule of law
Country
Lebanon