President

Academic Background

• Bachelor in civil engineering, American University of Beirut.
• Masters in civil engineering, American University of Beirut.

Career

He established his engineering office in 1994.

Social Contribution

MP Gebran Bassil founded several charitable organizations, among which is “Batrouniat”, a cooperative that highlights and markets local products of farmers from the Batroun district. “Batrouniat” is also the home of cultural, social, and development activities. He also initiated several associations to push the Lebanese economy towards integrating the business environment with the aim of stimulating growth and prosperity, creating new job opportunities, and limiting the brain drain.

Ministry of Telecommunications

He issued a policy paper for the telecommunications sector and worked on setting strategic foundations for the development of the sector, the most important of which are:

• Reducing calls and subscriptions costs, and increasing the number of subscribers and revenues.
• Modernizing the telecommunications network, and establishing projects for the development of the sector.
• Establishing an all-inclusive and integrated file stating all infractions and waste, and referring it to justice.
• Addressing the files pertaining to all payments arising from the arbitration between the State and both mobile operators.

Ministry of Energy and Water

He worked on several plans, strategies, and projects, which have been approved by the Council of Ministers. Among these accomplishments are:

I. Policy Paper for the Electricity Sector

It has been approved by the Council of Ministers, and included 42 initiatives and projects that the Ministry intends to implement, the most important of which are:

• Law 181, which secures 700 megawatts.
• Amending Law 462 for the electricity sector.
• The construction of the Zouk and Jiyeh power plants, as well as contract awarding the largest power plant in Deir Ammar.
• Regional and important channeling stations and new transmission networks.
• The Service Providers project, and the division of Lebanon into 3 service areas, in cooperation with the private sector, and the gradual introduction of smart meter systems.
• Focusing on renewable energy, rationalizing energy, and relying on solar energy in various fields.

II. National Water Sector Strategy

It has been approved by the Council of Ministers, and includes executive plans and initiatives through the construction of dams, wells, drinking water networks, storage tanks, and pumping stations, such as the El-Janneh, Balaa, Mseilha, Boqaata, Yammouneh, Kaysamani, and Bisri dams, and pumping the Awali water through the tunnels, then refining it to supply the Greater Beirut area.

III. National Strategy for Sanitation Sector

It was approved by the Council of Ministers, and includes executive plans and initiatives. And the completion of integrated sewage systems and water treatment plants

IV. Supporting Public Water Institutions

By allocating additional funds within the ministry’s budgets and obtaining international grants for institutional support from the German Agency for development, USAID, AFD…

V. Oil Sector

Lebanon has been pinned on the international map as an oil-producing country, after technical studies have been conducted with international experts, and carrying out all necessary in-depth surveys, which have shown that Lebanon might have a promising source of wealth. Most important achievements:

Establishing a technical-legal unit within the ministry that collected the existing seismic surveys, and developed a policy based on the reliance of Lebanon primarily on gas and providing all other alternatives.

• Adopting the Oil and Gas Law.
• Establishing the Oil Sector Management Authority.
• Launching the first licensing round.
• Signing the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).
• Benefiting from selling geological data to petroleum companies.
• Creating different job opportunities within the sector, in addition to its complementary sectors, and adopting the local quota requirement (80%) of employment in this sector.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants

He has achieved a qualitative leap in terms of carrying out administrative work and establishing diplomatic presence on international platforms, and has restored communication with the worldwide Lebanese diaspora by working on their participation in voting from abroad for the first time in the history of Lebanon. Among the most significant achievements:

I. Establishing a free and independent diplomacy.

II. Carrying out administrative diplomatic work through:

• Conducting the largest process of diplomatic promotions, redeployment, formations, and appointments.
• Appointing economic attachés.
• Launching diplomatic missions.
• Appointing military attachés.
• Appointing honorary consuls and establishing 97 new honorary consulates.
• The electronic connectivity project to connect all Lebanese missions abroad with the central administration via a virtual network, as well as to link the diaspora with the Ministry’s services.
• Building a smartphone application “MOFA Online” and creating a new website for the Ministry for more than 75 Lebanese delegations.
• Organizing several meetings for Lebanese Ambassadors that took place both in Beirut, and on continental levels.

III. Political diplomacy

• Defending the rights of minorities, including the free Christian presence in the East.
• Fighting terrorism by all means necessary in all international platforms.
• Putting Lebanon back on the global map and building bridges with international capitals.
• Providing support for Lebanon through international conferences and effective participation in international platforms.
• Policy Paper on the Syrian Displacement to prevent settlement, naturalization, and integration while ensuring the full and safe return of the displaced Syrians and Palestinian refugees to their land.

IV. Adopting “Effective” Diplomacy” through launching economic, expatriate, cultural and gastro diplomacy.

Expatriate diplomacy

• Adopting a law which allows expatriates to vote from abroad, and representing them with diaspora MPs.
• Regulating the vote of expatriates in the 2018 parliamentary elections.
• Lebanese Diaspora Energy (LDE) conferences
• Adopting the Law of Restoring Nationality.
• Expatriate projects: Lebanese Diaspora House, Lebanese Diaspora School, Lebanese Diaspora Cedar, Invest to Stay, Buy Lebanese, Lebanon Connect, Lebanese Diaspora Fund.
• Organizing tours in countries where Lebanese expatriates reside.
• Registering descendants of Lebanese origin.
• Creating economic incentives to encourage the return of the expatriates and their investments in Lebanon, and approving expatriate-related loans.

Cultural Diplomacy

Spreading the message of Lebanon, marketing the Lebanese model, and highlighting culture in Lebanon.

Economic Diplomacy

• Launching the Gastro Diplomacy to market Lebanese products around the world.
• Establishing a network to facilitate trade exchange and creating the ICH.
• Encouraging expatriates and residents to invest and attract foreign investments through BOT.
• Seeking to launch direct transport airlines and maritime routes.
• Engaging with regional economic groups.