People cannot participate meaningfully in development when they cannot find out how decisions are made, where resources are allocated or how to obtain essential services. Information helps families access assistance, journalists scrutinise public spending and communities influence projects that affect their lives.
For Lebanon, World Development Information Day, observed on 24 October, provides an opportunity to connect recovery with transparency, digital inclusion and human rights. Rebuilding institutions and services requires information that people can obtain, understand and use.
The United Nations General Assembly established the observance in 1972 through resolution 3038 (XXVII) to draw attention to development challenges and the need for international cooperation. Its date coincides with United Nations Day. The observance emphasises public awareness and participation, including among young people.
For Lebanon, the practical question is how information can help people exercise their rights and shape the country’s recovery.
Development information must serve people’s everyday needs
Development information includes much more than announcements about projects.
It encompasses eligibility criteria for assistance, school enrolment procedures, healthcare coverage, municipal plans, environmental assessments and information about public expenditure. Its value depends on whether people can use it.
A family seeking support needs clear instructions about required documents, deadlines and appeal procedures. A community affected by reconstruction needs to understand the proposed works, their timetable and how concerns can be raised.
Lebanon’s institutions should therefore treat clear public communication as part of service delivery. Publishing information is only the first step; making it understandable and actionable is equally important.
Lebanon has a legal framework for access to information
Lebanon’s right of access to information is established by Law No. 28 of 10 February 2017, strengthened by Law No. 233 of 22 July 2021, and supported by Decree No. 6940 of 24 September 2020.
According to the Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform, these instruments define obligations to disclose information proactively and upon request.
This framework provides a foundation for transparency in development and recovery. Its practical effect depends on public institutions maintaining records, publishing required information and responding through clear procedures.
People should be able to identify the responsible office, submit a request and understand how to challenge a refusal or lack of response.
Implementation requires stronger institutional capacity
Public evidence shows that legal guarantees must be supported by administrative practice.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission’s first assessment of access-to-information implementation, presented with UNDP support in 2025, covered more than 1,400 administrations at national and local levels. It identified challenges including weak institutionalisation, insufficient information officers, limited proactive publication and technical barriers.
Recommendations included appointing information officers, improving information management, strengthening enforcement and expanding training and public awareness.
For Lebanon, these findings point towards concrete action. Institutions need designated responsibilities, organised records and publication systems that staff can maintain.
Progress should be measured through the information people actually receive and their ability to use it.
Recovery spending must be understandable and open to scrutiny
Recovery creates urgent demands for public expenditure and international assistance. Accessible information helps communities assess whether resources respond to their needs.
Authorities and programme partners should provide clear information about project objectives, funding, procurement, implementation and results, subject to legitimate protections for personal and confidential information.
Publication should distinguish between commitments, disbursements and completed activities. Approval of financing does not establish that a project has delivered its intended benefits.
For affected residents, useful information includes which areas are covered, how priorities are selected and where complaints can be submitted. Transparency should enable scrutiny throughout implementation.
Digital transformation offers opportunities—but inclusion must guide it
Digital public services can reduce travel, simplify procedures and improve the management of information. Their value, however, depends on whether people can access and use them.
On 27 January 2026, the World Bank announced approval of US$350 million in financing across two projects supporting social protection, economic inclusion and digital transformation in Lebanon. The announcement also identified institutional gaps and limited implementation capacity as constraints on digital progress.
This creates an opportunity to improve service delivery, but results should be assessed through people’s experience: whether applications become easier, delays decrease and excluded households can obtain assistance.
Digitalisation should be accompanied by accessible design, staff training, reliable infrastructure and assistance for users.
Connectivity is a development and human rights issue
Internet access affects education, work, information and participation. Expanding networks should therefore include attention to affordability, accessibility and geographic coverage.
The National Human Rights Commission, including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, has publicly reported its participation in the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority’s consultation process on fibre-to-the-home policy. Its submission was among those discussed in that process.
This illustrates the importance of bringing human rights considerations into infrastructure decisions.
For Lebanon, network development should examine whether low-income households, rural communities and persons with disabilities can benefit. Reliable connectivity must be paired with devices, skills and services that people can use.
Public services must remain accessible beyond the internet
An online procedure can still exclude someone who lacks connectivity, digital skills or an accessible device.
Public institutions should therefore maintain practical alternatives, including telephone guidance, assisted applications and in-person support. Forms and instructions should use plain language, and websites should accommodate assistive technologies.
These measures are especially relevant to older persons, persons with disabilities, displaced households and people facing literacy or documentation difficulties.
Service design should include these users from the outset. A system becomes more effective when it accounts for the circumstances of the people it is intended to serve.
Protecting privacy is part of trustworthy information systems
Public transparency and personal privacy must be addressed together.
Institutions can explain budgets, procedures and results without exposing sensitive information about assistance recipients or complainants. Data collection should serve a defined purpose, with appropriate safeguards and access controls.
People should understand why information is requested and how it will be used. Where decisions affect access to essential services, they should have a way to obtain explanations and correct errors.
Digital development earns trust when it improves accountability while protecting the people whose information it processes.
Journalism, education and participation strengthen development
Journalists and civil society help translate complex information into public understanding. They can examine whether project announcements correspond to delivered services and whether different communities benefit fairly.
Schools and universities can also help young people understand public budgets, evaluate sources and participate in discussions about development.
Institutions should support this work through accessible records, clear explanations and timely responses. When information changes, updates should be dated and corrections made visible.
Communities should also contribute knowledge. Residents can identify service gaps, accessibility barriers and unintended effects that administrative data may overlook.
Priorities for Lebanon on 24 October
World Development Information Day should encourage practical commitments:
- Implement access-to-information obligations, with trained officers, organised records and clear request procedures.
- Publish useful recovery information, including funding, implementation progress and results.
- Design inclusive digital services, with accessible interfaces and support for users.
- Maintain non-digital access, so essential services remain available to people facing connectivity or skills barriers.
- Protect personal information, while ensuring transparency about institutional decisions.
- Support journalism and public understanding, through reliable data and understandable communication.
- Involve affected communities, and explain how their contributions influence policy.
Lebanon’s recovery needs information that reaches people and enables action. On 24 October, the commitment should be to institutions that explain their decisions, services that people can access and development policies that communities can help shape.
Official references
- United Nations: World Development Information Day
- UNCTAD: World Development Information Day—24 October
- OMSAR: Access to Information in Lebanon
- UNDP Lebanon: The Right of Access to Information
- UNDP Lebanon: First Annual Report on Implementation of the Right of Access to Information Law
- UNDP: National Anti-Corruption Commission discussion on access to information and transparency
- World Bank: Financing for social protection, economic empowerment and digital transformation in Lebanon
- NHRC-CPT: Published consultation response on fibre-to-the-home policy
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