OCA Global Consulting and Technical Advisory Division joins the final validation workshop that concludes 13 months of work on promoting sustainable forest management to address forest fires in Lebanon

Within the scope of the World Bank-funded project “Promoting Sustainable Forest Management to Address Forest Fires in Lebanon” and with the financial support of the PROGREEN Trust Fund, OCA Global Consulting and Technical Advisory has presented the final results of the 13 months-long project assisting the Lebanese government in improving forest fire action, through sustainable forest management approach. The validation workshop aimed to provide an overview of the Technical Assistance and validate the findings and recommendations delivered. The Team further engaged the discussion on the main product, Lebanon Forest Note “Supporting Sustainable Forest Management for Forest Fire Risk Reduction in Lebanon”, with all relevant stakeholders. The event was held by the World Bank on the 9th of June, in the Gefinor Rotana Hotel in Beirut, with an opening speech by H.E. Mr. Nasser Yassin – Minister of Environment; Mr. Chadi Mohanna – Director of Rural Development and Natural Resources in the Ministry of Agriculture; Ms. Sawsan Bou Fakhreddine – Chief Technical Officer in the DRM Unit; and Ms, Andrea Kutter from the World Bank.

The morning session included the presentation and discussion on the Lebanon Forest Note and its supporting products derived from the consultancy. Following those, the afternoon session discussed the potentiality of mobilizing Global Environmental Facility (GEF) finance building on recommendations identified in the course of the present work.

This is the final meeting that concludes over a year of work in support Lebanon in its efforts towards an efficient and effective sustainable forest management to prevent, prepare, respond and recover from its seasonal forest fires.

OCA Global led the implementation of the WB-funded project “Promoting Sustainable Forest Management to Address Forest Fires in Lebanon” since April 2022, with the objective to assess the country’s needs and assist in strengthening the local’s capacity to deal with forest fires.