From 3 to 5 February 2026, Plan Bleu organized the 3rd multi-stakeholder consultation in Beirut, Lebanon, dedicated to Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and the Damour area, within the framework of the MedProgramme.
The meeting aimed to strengthen intersectoral coordination and spatial integration in order to improve the sustainable management of natural resources, following a Source-to-Sea approach.
The consultation brought together Plan Bleu, PAP/RAC, GWP-Med, UNESCO-IHP, CNRS-L, as well as l’Université de Balamand, MORES s.a.r.l and Difaf, alongside national and international experts, representatives of public authorities, and local stakeholders.
Discussions focused primarily on the Draft Strategy and Law on ICZM in Lebanon and the Integrated Management Plan (IMP) for the Damour area.
Three days of collaborative and forward-looking work
The programme combined plenary sessions, group work, and thematic workshops structured around several key areas:
-
Legal and strategic framework: : analysis and consolidation of strategic measures and legal provisions for the future ICZM Strategy and Law, as well as the Integrated Management Plan for Damour.
-
Vision 2050 : development of a shared vision for the Lebanese coastline through the participatory Climagine approach, including the definition of a safe operating space based on sustainability indicators.
-
Futur scenarios: comparison of Business-as-Usual and Sustainable Pathway trajectories, supported by visualization tools such as the Band of Equilibrium (BoE) and Amoeba diagrams.
-
Action prioritization: : consensus-based identification of priority measures of the ICZM Strategy using the Nominal Group Technique (NGT).
-
Focus on Damour Area: update of the territorial diagnosis, development of an action plan, and presentation of the WEFE Nexus (Water–Energy–Food–Ecosystems) assessment.
-
Sustainability pathways : multisectoral thematic workshops (water, agriculture, biodiversity, governance) aimed at defining sustainability targets fo 2030 to 2050.
These three days of exchanges helped consolidate a shared vision, prioritize key levers for action, and advance integrated planning in support of the resilience of coastal zones and river basins in Lebanon.
Plan Bleu warmly thanks all partners, experts, and participants for their commitment and the quality of their contributions, which represent a key step toward the sustainable and coordinated management of the Lebanese coastline.
