“Lebanese civil society combating for a plastic free Mediterranean Sea” is a two years project funded by European Union Delegation and implemented by the Lebanon Environment Forum and Lebanon Eco Movement since June 2018.

The global objective of this project is to “reduce the impact of marine litter and micro plastics pollution on marine biodiversity, public health and the livelihoods of people who earn a living from the sea”. The project consists in three work packages:

The work package 1 (Financial support to third parties) aims to reduce discharges of waste thrown in the sea, prevent additional harming to the environment and mitigate the economic damage to activities such as tourism and fisheries. Co-managed by LEF and LEM, this WP consists in the provision of financial support (small grants of maximum EUR 60,000; budget available EUR 500,000) to entities that do not have the capacities to access funds typically provided by international donors. To ensure a maximum outreach, care will be taken to use traditional and social media to advertise the call for projects. Information sessions are also critical to ensure that interested organizations are equipped with the necessary information to propose quality projects. Once the contracts awarded, LEF and LEM will provide additional support to strengthen the capacities of the beneficiaries in the technical, financial and administrative implementation of their project.

The work package 2 aims to advocate for the preparation of a national marine strategy and propose relevant regulatory changes under the advocacy campaign “Plastic Producer Responsibility”. This WP, managed by LEM, consists in the preparation and work on two reports, one report on marine litter and plastic pollution and another will be a legal review and recommendations of the current environmental law and specifically the treatment of plastics. These two reports will be the tool needed to trigger policy change. To ensure a maximum involvement of stakeholders and a mobilization of the key decision-makers around a national marine strategy and regulatory improvements, meetings and roundtables will be organized with the Environmental Committee at the Parliament, with the Ministry Of Environment, the Association of Lebanese Industrialists and the Syndicate of Supermarkets. Some of these meetings and events will be conducted by international experts in different domains, e.g. plastic pollution, legal aspects, marine life, alternative solutions. In terms of materials, the advocacy campaign “Plastic Producer Responsibility” will be supported by Billboards, a documentary and brochures.

The work package 3 aims at raising the awareness of concerned citizens on the impact of plastic litter and micro plastics. This WP, managed by LEF, will mainly aim at complementing the actions financed through the work package 1 and sensitizing the larger public at the issue of marine litter through the implementation of awareness campaign. An awareness campaign strategy and action plan will be developed once all contracts are awarded. The strategy will prioritize 3-5 target audiences to which key messages will be addressed through appropriate media and communication tools.