$350 million funding
from the World Bank

To support social safety nets and

the digitalization of public services

The World Bank has approved a $350 million new financing to support the government meet the basic needs of the poor and vulnerable and accelerate the digitalization of public services.

The funding consists of $200 million for the Social Safety Net Enhancement and System Building Project and $150 million for the Lebanon Digital Acceleration Project.

The Social Safety Net Enhancement and System Building Project aims to strengthen the social protection delivery system while complementing government financing of cash transfers. “The project will adopt an integrated approach of providing cash transfers to poor and vulnerable Lebanese households while concurrently increasing access to economic opportunities and social services with a focus on women, youth, and the vulnerable. The project will also strengthen systems and institutions for effective and sustainable delivery of social safety net programs, namely the enhancement to the DAEM platform – which has been supporting the implementation of the AMAN cash transfer program – to allow it to function as a comprehensive social registry and serve other government programs,” the World Bank said in a statement.

The Lebanon Digital Acceleration Project’s activities include the provision of secure and efficient infrastructure for hosting government data and investments in cybersecurity. It will also strengthen the legal, institutional, and human capital foundations of digital transformation and will support the effective implementation of infrastructure and platforms. The project will also pilot the digitalization of select public services with high potential to improve government transparency and efficiency, citizen benefits, and climate resilience.