On 17 March 1997, listing of religion in the government issued identity card was dropped. The religious or sectarian identity was not mentioned in the card but that information was said to be stored in a central data bank since Lebanon’s sectarian-based political and social system would require religious affiliations in many cases.¹ Government in 1997 passed a law to create specialized units within the Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR).²

Since public jobs were equally divided and the sectarian identity was abolished, reforms related to civil service can be coded as implemented.

Lebanese government yet had to abolish the mention of sect and denomination on the identity card as required by the Taif accord.

Lebanese government yet had to abolish the mention of sect and denomination on the identity card as required by the Taif accord.

Lebanese government yet had to abolish the mention of sect and denomination on the identity card as required by the Taif accord.

Various efforts were made to modernize the administration. Nevertheless, government yet had to abolish the mention of sect and denomination on the identity card as required by the Taif accord.

It was reported that the administrative reform was the main priority and objective of the Hariri government.³ But, no record of administrative reform found for that year except that the government formulated a framework for the “National Administrative Rehabilitation Programme (NARP) of the Government (1992) to bring the Lebanese post-war public administration into the 21st century.”⁴ Government yet had to abolish the mention of sect and denomination on the identity card as required by the Taif accord.

Discrimination based on religion or sectarian identity existed. The Government had agreed in principle to Muslim-Christian parity in top-level positions and to the elimination of the use of sectarian criteria for top-level positions. The Government held a seminar during the summer of 1991 to draw up an administrative reform plan; one provision aimed to abolish confessionalism for positions at the lower ranks.[fn]”Human Rights Report -1991-Lebanon,” U.S. State Department, February 1992.[/efn_note] Government had yet to abolish the mention of sect and denomination on the identity card as required by the Taif accord.

No information available as to whether top level jobs were equally distributed between Christians and Muslims.

No information available as to whether top level jobs were equally distributed between Christians and Muslims.

No bill was introduced despite it being 10 years after the accord was signed.

The council of ministers in 2001 approved a law that would give more powers to municipalities including the authority to allocate and prioritize resources and projects. During 2002 and 2003, UNDP implemented a project Promotion of Decentralization and Local governance with resources provided by the Democratic Governance Trust Fund.⁵ As of 2010, the administration decentralization law was not proposed by the Ministry of Interior.