The RELIEF Centre and the American University of Beirut, with an independent team of advisors, will launch the first-ever Citizens' Assembly Pilot on Electricity in Beirut on October 20th 2020.

The recent devastating explosion in the port of Beirut, as well as destroying lives, homes, livelihoods and dreams, has propelled Lebanon into a more profound political and economic abyss. One of the critical facilities that were damaged severely was the iconic building of Electricité du Liban, and key figures in the organisations were killed or injured. As with many other public services, electricity is a crucial sector that needs deep reforms to be able to meet the energy demands of the country. EDL became a lynchpin of the state's inability to meet the basic needs of its citizens.

Citizens from the Hamra neighbourhood of Beirut will gather to co-design solutions to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

Based on the feedback from the consultations, the citizens' assembly will use a hybrid physical and digital format. We will have two short evening sessions on Friday 23rd October and Friday 30th October from 6-8 pm in small groups. In the interim week, filmed speakers’ presentations will be shared with all participants. There will be a final digital session on Saturday 31st October.

Find out more about the citizen assembly here.