You only lose once you stop trying. And the people of Lebanon are still trying to #BuildLebanonForward. They are keeping hope alive as they pick up the pieces of their homeland after the traumatic Beirut explosion of 4 August, even while buckling under the weight of the worst economic crisis they have witnessed in years and the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic.
One thing these national and global crises have taught people everywhere is that they do not discriminate. Therefore, solutions must necessarily be all-inclusive. From that realization, we have seen undeniable proof and inspiring stories of civil society mobilizing to #BuildLebanonForward with better equality, peace and services. What began as isolated voices and initiatives is starting to coalesce into institutionalized movements and encouraging greater citizen involvement in public life and discourse.
#BuildLebanonForward starts with building safe and positive media spaces for dialog about inequalities. The Peace Building in Lebanon News Supplement you hold in your hands is one such space. The supplement is published with funding from Germany through the German Development Bank KfW and through the common vision of peace building shared by journalists, activists, researchers and artists in Lebanon. Safe media spaces require fighting another rapidly spreading pandemic of disinformation that is also threatening peace building. Through UNDP, KfW has funded a training of editors and reporters from the National News Agency (NNA) on combating fake news. Using their newly acquired tools and knowledge, the NNA journalists have started operating a website dedicated to detecting and debunking fake news, with a focus on health-related news.
We stand firm in the belief that where there are people fighting for change in strong unity, there is always hope, and we are resolved to continue supporting efforts to #BuildLebanonForward.