NGO Law Monitor: Lebanon
Introduction | At a Glance | Key Indicators | International Rankings
Legal Snapshot | Legal Analysis | Reports | News and Additional Resources
Download PDF Version
Last updated 4 May 2012
Introduction
In recent years Lebanon has established one of the most enabling legal and regulatory environments for civil society in the entire Arab world. The Lebanese NGO law is the 1909 Ottoman Law on Associations, which has remained in force for more than 100 years. Although the Ottoman Law is quite liberal, it notably diverges from the French Law on Associations from which it is derived by requiring government notification of the formation of all associations immediately after they are created. "Secret" or undeclared associations are prohibited and subject to immediate dissolution.
For a number of years the Law on Associations was misapplied by Lebanese authorities, who might take months or, in some extreme cases, years to deliver a receipt of notification. Without this receipt, associations could not take full advantage of the rights and privileges afforded to registered legal entities. In 2006, the young attorney and civil society leader Ziad Baroud became Minister of Home Affairs, and in this position circulated a Ministerial Circular putting an end to a number of negative implementation practices -- most importantly, by requiring that receipts be given within 30 days of the date of notification.
Since 2006, very few issues have been reported with regard to implementation of the NGO law. Indeed, the only association that applied to be registered and was refused during this period is the HELEM Association, which defends LGBT rights. The Home Affairs Ministry has stated that it cannot issue a receipt because homosexuality remains prohibited under the Lebanese Criminal Code.
At a Glance
| Organizational Forms | Associations |
| Registration Body | Ministry of Home Affairs. |
| Approximate Number | 5,523 National Associations; 100 Branches of International Associations |
| Barriers to Entry | Mandatory notification of association establishment |
| Barriers to Activities | "Secret" or undeclared associations are prohibited. |
| Barriers to Speech and/or Advocacy | n/a |
| Barriers to International Contact | n/a |
| Barriers to Resources | n/a |
Key Indicators
| Population | 4,143,101 (July 2011 est.) |
| Capital | Beirut |
| Type of Government | Republic |
| Life Expectancy at Birth | Male: 73.48 years Female: 76.62 years (2010 est.) |
| Literacy Rate | Male: 93.1% Female: 82.2% |
| Religious Groups | Muslim (Shia, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite, Nusayri): 59.7%, Christian (Maronite, Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Coptic, Protestants): 39%; Other: 1.3% |
| Ethnic Groups | Arab: 95%, Armenian: 4%, Other: 1% |
| GDP Per Capita | $14,400 (2010 est.) |
Source: The World Factbook. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2010.
International Rankings
| Ranking Body | Rank | Ranking Scale (best - worst possible) |
| UN Human Development Index | 83 (2010) | 1 – 182 |
| World Bank Rule of Law Index | 30.3 (2009) | 100 – 0 |
| World Bank Voice & Accountability Index | 35.5 (2009) | 100 – 0 |
| Transparency International | 130 (2010) | 1 – 180 |
| Freedom House: Freedom in the World | Status: Partly Free Political Rights: 6 Civil Liberties: 3 (2010) |
Free/Partly Free/Not Free 1 – 7 1 – 7 |
| Foreign Policy: Failed States Index | Rank: 43 (2010) | 177 – 1 |
Legal Snapshot
International and Regional Human Rights Agreements
| Key International Agreements | Ratification* | Year |
| International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) | Yes | 1972 |
| Optional Protocol to ICCPR (ICCPR-OP1) | No | -- |
| International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) | Yes | 1972 |
| Optional Protocol to ICESCR (OP-ICESCR) | No | -- |
| International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) | Yes | 1971 |
| Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) | Yes | 1997 |
| Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women | No | -- |
| Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) | Yes | 1991 |
| International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (ICRMW) | No | -- |
| Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) | Yes | 2007 |
| Key Regional Agreements | Ratification* | Year |
| Arab Charter on Human Rights | No | -- |
* Category includes ratification, accession, or succession to the treaty
Constitutional Framework
The Lebanese Constitution was adopted in 1926 and amended following the Lebanese Civil War in 1990. According to Article 13, "the freedom to express one's opinion orally or in writing, the freedom of the press, the freedom of assembly, and the freedom of association are guaranteed within the limits established by law. "
National Laws and Regulations Affecting Sector
Relevant national legislation includes the following:
- Ottoman Law on Associations of 1909
- Ministry of Home Affairs Circular 10/AM/2006 of 2006
Pending NGO Legislative / Regulatory Initiatives
We are unaware of any other pending legislative/regulatory initiatives affecting NGOs. Please help keep us informed; if you are aware of pending initiatives, write to ICNL at ngomonitor@icnl.org.
Legal Analysis
Organizational Forms
According to the 1909 Law on Associations, an association is a group composed of more than one individual that combines their knowledge and effort in a permanent fashion to achieve a goal which does not include the distribution of profit.
Public Benefit Status
Lebanese associations may obtain a public benefit designation only by an act of Parliament. Because there is no formal procedure, no associations have been awarded public benefit status in a number of years. Public benefit status allows associations to receive public funds, bid for government contracts, and receive limited tax benefits.
Barriers to Entry
According to Lebanon's 1909 Law on Associations, formation of an association does not require any prior approval. However, it is mandatory that the government be notified of an association's existence once it has been formed. This notification can be submitted by filing two copies of the association's bylaws and the identification cards of the founders to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Since 2006, the Ministry is required to issue receipts of notification within 30 days of receiving the notification.
Barriers to Operational Activity
"Secret" or undeclared associations are prohibited and subject to dissolution by government authorities. However, the Lebanese government has not attempted to dissolve any association on these grounds since at least 2006.
Barriers to Speech / Advocacy
There are no legal barriers to speech or advocacy activity. Associations are free to engage on issues of public policy concern.
Barriers to International Contact
There are no legal barriers to international contact or communication.
Barriers to Resources
There are no legal barriers to resources, whether from domestic or foreign sources.
Reports
| UN Universal Periodic Review Reports | Universal Periodic Review: Lebanon (2010) |
| Reports of UN Special Rapporteurs | Lebanon |
| USIG (United States International Grantmaking) Country Notes | Not available |
| U.S. State Department | 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Lebanon Advancing Freedom and Democracy Reports, 2010: Lebanon |
| Failed States Index Reports | Foreign Policy: Failed States Index 2010 |
| IMF Country Reports | Lebanon and the IMF |
| International Commission of Jurists | Not available |
| International Center for Not-for-Profit Law Online Library | Lebanon |
General News
NGOs call for approval of electoral law and reject postponing elections (May 2012)
A group of NGOs called on the government to approve a new electoral law before June and rejected attempts to postpone next year's parliamentary elections. The Civil Campaign for Electoral Reforms, a group of about 40 domestic NGOs, held a news conference at the UNESCO Palace to review various proposals for a new election law, particularly a draft law based on a system of proportional representation and the right of Lebanese in the Diaspora to vote. The group said that "although the parliamentary polls are 13 months away, there is only one month left from the deadline set by the government to speed up measures to adopt an electoral law at least one year ahead of the election date in 2013" and that "postponement of the elections is unacceptable because it constituted a violation of the most basic principles of democracy which calls for a rotation of power." (Read more)