The Middle East and North Africa region has been absent form stocktaking exercises on social accountability initiatives (SAI), an umbrella term to designate citizen-led tools aimed at socio-political change. We argue that this sidelining is unwarranted, given the proliferation of participatory governance …

This chapter offers a working definition of social accountability as any citizen-led action beyond elections that aims to enhance the accountability of state actors. We view social accountability as a broad array of predominantly bottom-up initiatives, aimed at improving the quality of governance (especially …

In this chapter, we first summarise the findings from the country chapters on the multiple meanings of SA, documenting terms, translations and contrasting understandings between citizens and public officials. Second, we highlight how civil mobilisation tends to be cyclical over time and is often mediated …

Lebanon’s economic crisis has disrupted the country’s energy and water sectors, highlighting their interdependence. The methodology involves surveying 150 municipalities across all Lebanese governorates, ensuring a comprehensive coverage of public and private water resources. Data on water and energy …

Background: Our transition to an “information society” means that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become integral to our lives. ICT has also become an essential aspect of medical institutions and healthcare settings. Healthcare professionals, especially nurses are required to use ICT …

The way we rebuild our buildings and cities show how we address, acknowledge and accept our history. In war-damaged cities, buildings with scars have the power to communicate the stories of the past. Revealing a difficult history through the built environment can be of added value in terms of knowing …

A run-down cement quarry in Lebanon that has erased the original landscape can be transformed into a new productive and natural domain to promote and apply the use of wood in the building industry. There is an urge for imposing the notion of resiliency as a counter model that will create a smooth exit …