Al-Zein Discusses Waste Financing and Firefighting with World Bank

Minister of Environment Dr. Tamara Al-Zein stressed the "necessity of directing funding toward sustainable solutions for the solid waste sector, while avoiding recourse to loans," affirming that "Lebanon needs to break out of the cycle of temporary treatments and their recurring costs, and build a service that reduces environmental and financial burdens on citizens and the state."

The Minister's stance came during her meeting with a World Bank delegation that visited her office at the ministry, including Maria Sarraf, Head of the Environment Sector for the Middle East and North Africa region, and Lamia Mansour, Senior Environmental Specialist at the World Bank–Lebanon, to discuss support for the solid waste sector and enhance cooperation in combating forest fires.

At the beginning of the meeting, World Bank representatives expressed their "appreciation for the qualitative leap achieved by the ministry," praising the "substantial reforms accomplished within just a few months," considering that "this progress formed a starting point for restoring confidence and exploring ways to accompany it with support and funding, translating it into tangible projects."

The meeting addressed reviewing mechanisms for mobilizing funding for the waste sector, particularly during the transitional phase between approving reforms and implementing them, and enhancing cooperation to develop the sector and support the plans of the National Solid Waste Management Authority.

Minister Al-Zein emphasized the "importance of securing the necessary support for this phase while avoiding loans and linking funding to an integrated plan that ensures service continuity."

She considered that "investment in the sector is not limited to establishing facilities, but requires ensuring their operation and maintenance, within a system that begins with waste reduction, sorting, recovery of usable materials, recycling and valuation, leading to treatment and safe disposal of residuals, thereby addressing the problem and reducing its long-term cost."

The meeting continued with discussions on the forest fire control project, its implementation mechanisms, and ways to enhance cooperation to protect forestry resources and limit environmental risks by extending the project's duration and expanding its geographical scope to include additional areas.

An agreement was reached on ways to follow up on cooperation with the World Bank to translate the completed reforms into support, funding, and tangible projects, enabling the advancement of plan implementation and turning visions into practical steps that serve Lebanon and its environment.