Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest, and cultural value. On Earth, it includes sunlight, atmosphere, water, land, all minerals along with all vegetation, and wildlife.
The Lebanese American University is a secular private American university in Beirut and Byblos, Lebanon. It is chartered by the board of regents of the University of the State of New York and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). It has two campuses and offers 33 bachelor's degree programs and 24 master's degree programs in addition to Pharm.D. and M.D. degrees.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA), also referred to as West Asia and North Africa (WANA) or South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA), is a geographic region which comprises the Middle East and North Africa together. However, it is widely considered to be a more defined and apolitical alternative to the concept of the Greater Middle East, which comprises the bulk of the Muslim world. The region has no standardized definition and groupings may vary, but the term typically includes countries like Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, the UAE, and Yemen.
The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) is a Norwegian-based organization that seeks to establish a global standard for the good governance of oil, gas and mineral resources. It seeks to address the key governance issues in the extractive sectors.
Global Witness is an international NGO established on November 15 1993 that works to break the links between natural resource exploitation, conflict, poverty, corruption, and human rights abuses worldwide. The organisation has offices in London and Washington, D.C.
Zaven Kouyoumdjian is a Lebanese talk show host, producer and television personality of both Armenian and Arab descent. He is also a media researcher and author of four books, including Lebanon's best-seller Lebanon Shot Twice. in 2021, Zaven joined The Munathara Initiative as the host of their Lebanese version of Townhall, a show that brings together key national broadcasters to commit to public interest journalism. Simultaneously, Zaven hosts and produces the morning show of Sawt Kel Lebnan radio station and DRI’s online talk show, Nafas Jdeed.
Women in the Arab world have been subject to changing cultural and social norms over the centuries with a clear difference between Urban areas, Rural areas and age groups. These differences can be attributed to local traditions, culture and religion, women's social or legal status, their level of education, health or self-awareness. Since the 19th century, and notably through the influence of the colonization in North Africa, the Arab Renaissance in Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria, and the end of the Ottoman Empire, the social and economic changes in the Arab world have become greatly accelerated and diversified.
Daniel Kaufmann is the president emeritus of the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), which resulted from the merger of the Revenue Watch Institute – Natural Resource Charter. He is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where he was previously a senior fellow, and until July 2019 served in the international board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and in a number of advisory boards on governance, anti-corruption and natural resources and has also been in high-level expert commissions such as at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. Prior to that, he was a director at the World Bank Institute, leading work on governance and anti-corruption. He was also a senior manager and lead economist at the World Bank, writing and working on many countries around the world, and was a visiting scholar at Harvard University. He has also served in other boards and councils in the past, including at the World Economic Forum.
Antoine Haddad is an academic, consultant, and social and political activist.
Franziska Katharina Brantner is a German politician of the Green Party who has been serving as a member of the German Parliament since 2013.
Paulette Siragan Yaghobian is a Lebanese journalist, television host and politician. She worked as a host in a number of Lebanese and pan-Arab international television stations. Known for the transformational impact she's had in her organizations and the broader community, Paula became one of the experts chosen by the World Bank group as a member of their 'External Advisory Panel for Diversity and Inclusion' as a result of her advocacy for women's rights, her efforts for women empowerment, as well as for being a fierce defender of electoral women quota and a fairer electoral law in Lebanon.
General elections were held in Lebanon on 6 May 2018. Although originally scheduled for 2013, the election was postponed three times in 2013, 2014 and 2017 for various reasons, including the security situation, the failure of the Parliament to elect a new President, and the technical requirements of holding an election. A new electoral law adopted in 2017 provides a proportional representation system for the first time.
The Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption is an international nongovernmental organization made up of parliamentarians from across the world, working together to combat corruption, strengthen good government, and uphold the rule of law. Based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, GOPAC has sixty-four national chapters in five continental associations. GOPAC supports its members through original research, global anti‑corruption capacity building, and international peer support.
Olga Bielkova is a former Member of the Ukrainian Parliament from 2012 until June 2020.
Nadine Moussa is a Lebanese lawyer, political activist, women's rights advocate and civil society volunteer. Moussa ran for the 2014 Lebanese general election. She also ran as an independent candidate for the 2014 Lebanese presidential election. She was the first woman to run for presidency in Lebanon. The presidential election was postponed to 2016. The general election was postponed to 2017 and again until 2018. She did not win either contest.
Fiscal transparency refers to the publication of information on how governments raise, spend, and manage public resources. More specifically, it means publication of high quality information on how governments raise taxes, borrow, spend, invest, and manage public assets and liabilities.
Zahra' Langhi is a feminist, Libyan exile, human rights activist, peace activist, and expert on gender, conflict resolution, and peace building.
Lamia Moubayed Bissat is a Lebanese public servant.
Sustainable Development Goals and Lebanon explains major contributions launched in Lebanon towards the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals SDGs and the 2030 agenda.
Cielo Diaz Magno-Gatmaytan is a Filipino academic who is a former Undersecretary of the Department of Finance. She served as the Undersecretary for the Fiscal Policy and Monitoring Group from August 2022 to September 4, 2023. She also served as the Chairperson of the Philippine Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) Technical Committee, and the Inter-Agency Investment Promotion Coordination Committee (IIPCC) Technical Committee. She resigned from her post after she criticized Executive Order No. 39 of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. which imposed the price ceiling on rice prices. She posted the basic graph of supply and demand curve on her Facebook page with the line showing how the price cap can lead to rice supply shortages and may negatively affect farmers and consumers. Her post earned the ire of Malacanang with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin issuing a statement saying that "she clearly does not support the administration and its programs for nation-building." Her controversial post earned her the reputation "for speaking her mind" especially on careless policies that may significantly affect the people's welfare.
