Strengthening governance and oversight capacity of public leaders in Lebanon through a series of discussion sessions

The Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR) has launched the National Governance Program targeting newly appointed and existing public leaders and progressively strengthening governance knowledge across public boards, regulatory authorities, and public institutions in the aim of building a shared understanding of good practices in governance in Lebanon.

As Lebanon welcomes a new cohort of public leaders and board members from diverse professional backgrounds, including the private sector and academia, OMSAR designed the National Governance Program for Public Boards & Leadership to establish a shared foundation for effective public governance. The program brings public leaders together through a structured series of discussion sessions focused on leading governance frameworks and practices, helping them navigate their roles with clarity, strengthen oversight of strategy, finance, and risk, and build a common understanding of governance standards across public entities.

To equip newly appointed public leaders with the governance frameworks they need from the outset, while progressively engaging the wider public-sector leadership to build a shared understanding of governance across institutions. The discussion sessions are grounded in practical knowledge of the legal, regulatory and administrative frameworks that govern public institutions, and a shared reference for governance, oversight, procurement, and anti-corruption principles.

The National Governance Program for Public Boards & Leadership consists of nine core modules and a capstone module, designed to build a shared governance reference for all public leaders.

Public boards, regulatory authorities, and public institutions each operate under distinct mandates, oversight structures, and accountability requirements. To reflect this diversity, specialized tracks are layered onto the core modules, extending the shared governance foundation with knowledge specific to each participant's institutional context.

The delivery of the National Governance Program for Public Boards & Leadership follows a staggered cycle, bringing together public-sector leaders from different entities for discussion sessions across the nine core modules, before convening participants from each entity for the Governance Simulation Lab. 

Newly appointed leaders are prioritized in the initial phase, providing them with a shared governance framework at the outset of their appointments, while existing public-sector leaders are progressively engaged to extend the program’s reach and build a shared governance culture across institutions.

The program is delivered by OMSAR in collaboration with specialized institutes, universities, and leading Lebanese experts, and coordinated through engagement with relevant government entities and public-sector leaders. The discussion sessions draw on OECD governance standards and international good practices, adapted to Lebanon’s legal and institutional context to ensure their relevance to the realities of public governance in the country.

Institutions and partners interested in supporting with delivery, expertise, or program funding are invited to reach out at [email protected].