NNA - Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Monday met at the Grand Serail with Minister of State for Administrative Development, Najla Riachi.
In a statement issued in the wake of the meeting, Minister Riachi said that she had briefed the PM on the challenges that have been hindering her work at the ministry and her plan to confront them. “The Ministry of State for Administrative Development, as well as the rest of the
Lebanese official administrations, are suffering from cumulative economic and financial crises,” Riachi said.
She especially underlined the obstacles that the Ministry of State for Administrative Development had been experiencing after the termination of the UNDP’s program for the rehabilitation Lebanese administrations.
“Meanwhile, one of the ministry’s most prominent projects is activating the fight against corruption in public administrations and institutions; this is the most important issue within the government's rescue plan, which is at the core of the responsibilities and powers of the Ministry of State for Administrative Development, according to the national anti-corruption strategy approved in the year 2020,” Riachi explained.
“Consequently, I have briefed the Prime Minister on the progress made in implementing this strategy and on the administrative, financial, and logistical challenges and obstacles that prevent its optimal implementation,” she added.
Roachi also briefed the Prime Minister on an invitation by the United Nations to head a Lebanese delegation to the ninth session of the “The Conference of the States Parties” (COSP), which will be held in Egypt in mid December to present the Lebanese national strategy to combat corruption and mobilize international support for its implementation.
"As for the digital transformation project of the Lebanese state, I’ve stressed to the PM the importance of moving forward with this project, which had been launched by the Ministry of State for Administrative Development during the tenure of Minister Inaya Ezzedine, despite the difficult financial and economic conditions that the public sector suffers from in Lebanon. The project is of paramount importance for Lebanon's transition to the modern state that we all aspire to,” Riachi maintained.
As for the solid household waste treatment, Riachi said that she had discussed with Mikati the challenges facing the management of this file, especially the financial obstacles facing the operation of the majority of solid household waste sorting plants.
“13 of the 17 existing plants suffer from operational problems, some of which are completely closed while others operate below their maximum capacity due to the inability of the Lebanese state to finance the operation of these plants,” she added, noting the Prime Minister’s pledge to follow up on the aforementioned matters.
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