Municipal Technical Office (Saida)

The Municipal Technical Office is a project established to enhance the at the Municipality of Saida’s effectiveness in serving the local community. The office, conceptualized through rigorous discussions with the municipality and its partners, aims to provide technical assistance and to ensure the proper implementation of municipal projects throughout their planning, design, and implementation phases. From 2018 until 2020, then hosted by the Hariri Foundation, was managed and operated by UN-Habitat. Since 2020 to this day, the office is managed and operated by the Hariri Foundation. 

The office is an administrative unit within the Municipality of Saida mandated to complement the work of existing municipal departments through technical operations and community engagement in the planning and execution of municipal projects. The office works closely with stakeholders to identify needs and develop solutions while avoiding duplication and overlapping. Its scope of work covers engineering, disaster risk management, socioeconomic development, and the prevention of violent extremism. 

The Municipal Technical Office is responsible for designing a comprehensive database of up-to-date municipal files and analyzing existing data to inform evidence-based policies, plans, and programs. The office is specialized for digitizing available files, developing state-of-the art geospatial maps and technical plans, and preparing concept notes for potential projects and activities. The office is also responsible for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of local strategies and plans and developing regular reports on the progress of local development and response activities. 

Disaster Risk Management 

In 2020, during the socioeconomic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hariri Foundation partnered with the national Disaster Risk Management (DRM) unit, the Union of Municipalities of Saida-Zahrani, and the Lebanese Red Cross to establish a local crisis and disaster risk management unit. The unit’s aim was to consolidate the efforts of all 16 Saida-Zahrani municipalities in managing crisis and disaster risks and to align them with national DRM plans. 

The Hariri Foundation collaborated with national and local partners to equip and support the unit and its operations room, linking local pre-established sectoral networks with local authorities to enhance preparedness for disasters and adopting scientific indicators in disaster risk reduction and disaster risk management. 

To this day, Hariri Foundation supports the unit through data management and geographic information system services, informing the unit’s strategic decisions for preparedness and multi-agency response. The foundation works with the unit to promote partnerships and tools for data-driven decision-making as well as community-based disaster risk management through outreach and joint planning with the local community. 

DRM throughout the 2024 War 

In September 2024, the Hariri Foundation, through the Municipal Technical Office, supported the Municipality of Saida in activating the emergency operations room for the DRM Unit to open and manage shelter centers and direct the flow of IDPs. 

Since the escalation that targeted cities and villages across Lebanon, the Municipality of Saida activated its Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Unit to manage the large influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs). 

With the technical, scientific, administrative, and logistical support provided through the Municipal Technical Office, the unit managed a wide range of operations and activities in collaboration with tens of civic organizations, government administrations, and international agencies, across ten sectors: Basic Assistance, Education, Sanitation and Hygiene, Food Security and Agriculture, Livelihoods, Protection, Shelter, Social Stability, Energy and Water, Nutrition, and Health.