EU funds public sector quality enhancement

Additional support planned for administrations

Five public administrations were chosen to benefit from the quality enhancement program (QUALEB) funded by the European Union: The National Institute of Administration (ENA), the Lebanese University, the General Directorate of General Security, the Directorate General of Internal Security Forces – Beirut Police, and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).

Ali Berro, Director of the QUALEB program, said: “These administrations were deemed the most fit to benefit from the program, but many more are also in need of improvement. Ten new administrations will benefit from it in the next phase.”

The initiative aims to bring institutions to par with required international standards.

According to the Ministry of Economy and Trade, the program will offer public administrations technical consultancy and training support in order to raise the level of services and obtain the ISO certification. It will focus on human resources management, performance enhancement, and the development of efficient processes.

According to Minister Nicolas Nahhas, “the public sector suffers from old legislations and the shortage of needed resources due to political interferences.” The Minister said that 70 percent of public positions are vacant, and they are being replaced by contractors or daily workers.

The Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR) said it is coordinating with the ENA to launch an e-learning program for the public sector in the coming weeks. It is also working on equipping the information center at the offices of the General Directorate of General Security.

Reported by Joelle Nassar