Renewing mutual commitments, Minister of Foreign Affairs Gebran Bassil, Minister of Water and Energy Cesar Abi Khalil and Ambassador Lind signed the 2018-2021 cooperation agreement on 6 June 2018.
Lebanon and Norway’s cooperation under the Oil for Development programme goes back to 2006. - The results achieved in this period are impressing, said Ambassador Lene Lind - Lebanon has established a competent petroleum administration, a comprehensive legal framework, and have demonstrated a commitment to good governance and transparency in the petroleum sector, most recently with the publishing of the Exploration and Production contracts on the LPA website.
Capacity building through colleagues
Oil for Development cooperation is based on institutional collaboration between public sector institutions in Lebanon and Norway to promote good governance of the petroleum sector. Civil servants from the two countries work shoulder to shoulder on issues related to resource, revenue, safety and environment management, with a constant emphasis on transparency and accountability. The programme covers upstream governance and avoids involvement with commercial and border issues.
Going forward: Emphasis on predictable, inclusive decision-making
After the signing ceremony, His Excellency Abi Khalil and Ambassador Lind addressed members of the press. Ambassador Lind also expressed words of caution for the development of the sector: - Future governance must be based on careful analysis of the facts and predictable, inclusive decision-making processes in order to ensure that all these careful preparations and all the impressing achievements do not go to waste.
The Oil for Development cooperation does not seek to export a Norwegian model on how to manage the petroleum resources. Norway shares experiences and lessons learned from nearly half a century as an oil and gas producer, but Lebanon has to make its own tough decisions to ensure a prudent, predictable and transparent management of the petroleum sector.
About the Oil for Development programme in Lebanon
Norway’s clear ambition with the Oil for Development programme is to contribute to responsible management of petroleum resources in an economically, socially and environmentally friendly manner to the benefit of all people in Lebanon.
Read more about the programme on Norad’s webpage here or LPA’here.