UNDP: Request to conclude extraordinary agreement contracts for contractors approved

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The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) announced on Monday that President of the Republic General Michel Aoun and Caretaker Prime Minister Dr. Hassan Diab approved the request for exceptional authorization made by Caretaker Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni to conclude extraordinary agreement contracts for contractors with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to continue business operations based on the principle of public facilities’ continuity in several ministries and public institutions.

Failure to conclude contracts in the relevant ministries and institutions will lead to the cessation of work and the disruption of the State and citizens’ interests. In fact, this will lead to the disruption of work in the automation systems of courts and data centers of the Supreme Judicial Council and the Ministry of Justice; it will also interrupt the management of a number of projects related to solid waste contracts and will stop the financing of operation and management in 17 solid waste treatment centers. Moreover, more than 90 government websites, the e-learning portal, as well as the information security and anti-virus programs in state administrations will be interrupted...

The Lebanese state had contracted many years ago with several skilled and experienced individuals in some ministries, departments and public institutions in the context of the plan for administrative modernization, automation and capacity-building of the Lebanese administration, within the framework of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), especially in the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the ministries of Finance, Economy and trade, Justice, Education and Higher Education, and Environment, as well as in the Investment Development Authority of Lebanon (IDAL) and the Office of the Ministry of State for Administrative Development.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) had rescinded the contracts of these contractors due to the State's inability to fulfill its financial obligations in US dollars, which posed a threat to the continuity of the work of the aforementioned departments.

The Presidencies of the Republic and of the Council of Ministers have exceptionally agreed to conclude contracts for the current contracting parties, for a maximum period of one year and with the consent of the two parties, provided that the subject matter is brought before the Council of Ministers later on, and that compensation be paid in Lebanese pounds and within a specified ceiling that is roughly equivalent to the contribution that the Lebanese state was paying from its share for the program. This means that the treasury will not be bearing any additional spending charge, especially that the funds are available from the 2020 budget in the form of contributions to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

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