Lebanese Finance Minister Meets METAC Delegation to Discuss Financial Stability and Future Plans

Lebanese Finance Minister Yaseen Jaber received a high-level delegation from the Middle East Regional Technical Assistance Center (METAC), led by the center’s director Monique Nouyack. The meeting included the Ministry of Finance’s Director General George Maarawi and advisor Claudine Karki, focusing on METAC’s critical role in supporting economic and financial stability in the region and its plans for the forthcoming phase.

The visit occurred amid escalating economic and geopolitical challenges in the region since 2019, including pressures on financial systems and the repercussions of successive crises, according to a statement from the ministry’s media office. Minister Jaber praised METAC’s resilience and its continued provision of vital technical assistance to member countries despite these difficult circumstances.

During the meeting, the METAC delegation presented the center’s operational achievements, revealing that most planned activities had been implemented by adapting to remote and hybrid work methods, alongside partial relocation of some team members. It was also emphasized that demand for METAC’s services remains high among member states, reflecting the ongoing need for its specialized technical support.

The discussion addressed METAC’s new five-year work plan, which will be finalized at the upcoming steering committee meeting in Morocco. The regional director explained that the center intends to maintain its current workstreams serving 14 member countries, with Somalia expected to join mid-year, increasing the beneficiary countries to 15. Expansion into specific areas such as financial sector regulation and supervision, as well as statistics, is also being explored in response to rising demand from member states.

The METAC delegation reaffirmed the center’s commitment to remain based in Beirut, where it has operated for over twenty years. They stressed that this presence is a strength, leveraging deep institutional knowledge and local expertise of its advisors to support countries across the region. The progress Lebanon has made in several areas was highlighted, including the publication of the Public Finance Monitor report, which was cited as an example of institutional and national resilience.

Minister Jaber expressed his appreciation for METAC’s ongoing efforts and its pivotal role in enhancing institutional and financial capacities in the region. He underscored the importance of sustaining joint cooperation to address current and future challenges and to support reform and economic development pathways.