December 19, 2011
What Should Be the Role of Regional Governments in the Context of Decentralization?

LCPS hosted a conference  which brought together Municipal Union Presidents, government officials, and experts in decentralization and development. The purpose of the conference was to explore the ability of municipal unions to serve as the missing tier between municipalities and the central government. After an introductory session in which three Municipal Union Presidents shared their experiences, focusing on the constraints and challenges facing them (South Dahiya, Souwayjeneh, and Dinniyeh), the conference investigated two sets of questions:
1. What is the government’s policy reform towards municipal unions and elected Qada councils? What form should regional governments take towards enhancing democracy and development: Municipal unions or elected Qada councils? How are the roles and responsibilities distributed across tiers of governments in Switzerland?
2. Since regional governments are a necessary tier when undertaking development, what are the socio-economic and spatial needs as well as the fiscal resources that must be galvanized towards that goal?
The conference was hosted in cooperation with the Embassy of Switzerland in Lebanon.