Land Policies Observatory

Enacting a law to extend rental contract deadlines: An insufficient measure to safeguard the right to housing

The Lebanese government’s new law suspends legal, judicial, and contractual deadlines to protect citizens’ rights during the Israeli aggression. However, concerns persist about its long-term effectiveness, especially regarding housing security and old rental tenants.

 The Reconstruction Draft Law repeats the Mistakes of the past:

Reviving destroyed villages can’t happen only through buildings

After a ceasefire was implemented in Lebanon on November 27, the Lebanese government held a special session on December 7 in the southern city of Tyre and approved a draft law for rebuilding homes destroyed by Israeli attacks, as they were before. Regardless of its immediate issues in terms of content, it appears that the proposed law does not address the previous or emerging challenges we are facing and risks repeating the mistakes of past failed reconstruction experiences.

When the Emergency Plan Fails in Practice: A Critical Reading of Crisis Management

This report, produced after the ceasefire was announced, offers an evaluation and critique to the national emergency plan, highlighting its content flaws and execution failures based on field observations and the experiences of those impacted by the Israeli war.

Solutions to Adapt to the Conditions of War: A Temporary Fix that Conceals the Necessity of Reforming Property and Construction Laws.

A Joint Commentary by Public Works Studio and Legal Agenda

The proposed draft law, submitted on November 19, 2024, suggests extending the validity of Law 294/2022 for five more years and applying some modifications to certain clauses. The law is proposed with the …

Shelter Distribution Reflects Religious, Class, and Regional Factors

Lebanon’s national emergency plan for mass displacement relied on shelters in schools located in safer areas, but their uneven geographic distribution created challenges, with many host towns and regions suffering from overcrowding. The imbalance, exacerbating regional inequality and pressure on infrastructure, underscored the need to a more equitable distribution of shelters.

Unequal Distribution of Shelters: Undermining Shared Social Responsibility

Beirut has 114 designated shelters for displaced individuals, including public schools, private educational centers, and other facilities. These shelters are housing around 40,000 displaced people, mostly in crowded areas like Mazraa, Ras Beirut, …

Israeli attacks on Lebanon: Bombing and target types, and number of civilian martyrs

Share on Facebook 𝕏 Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on Linkedin This map is updated through daily monitoring of information and collection of data related to the attacks from the National …

The Primary Causes Behind the Increasing number of Collapsed Buildings in Lebanon

In 2023, seismic activity raised concerns about building collapses in Lebanon, initially overlooked until a series of incidents occurred across different regions. These events are part of a broader context where Lebanon faces …

Five Factors that Contributed to the Deterioration of the Urban Environment in Lebanon

This text highlights Lebanon’s urgent issue of severe physical degradation in its urban environment, with over 18,000 buildings at risk of collapse, particularly in Beirut and Tripoli. It attributes urban decay to a …

The Lebanese Forces’ Draft Law Targeting Refugees and Migrants:

Banning Rental as a New Tool in the Incitement Campaign

Amidst the escalating campaign by the state against Syrian refugees, Deputy Melhem Riachi proposed on May 23, 2024, a draft law to prohibit landlords from renting to any non-Lebanese citizen who illegally entered …

The right to housing in the National Social Protection Strategy for Lebanon

On February 13, 2024, Lebanon’s Cabinet approved the first national social protection strategy, aiming to replace the fragmented, privilege-based system with one based on rights and comprehensive reform. Prime Minister Najib Mikati launched …

In KfarAbida: Raghida Dergham takes over public property through the policies of the higher Council of Urban Planning

Last Sunday, June 9, 2024, residents and activists in the town of KfarAbida gathered in front of the villa of journalist Raghida Dergham, to denounce the building violations she is committing, and to …