In 2025, GCEOA–CIFAL Lebanon continued to consolidate its role as a platform for capacity-building, dialogue, and multi-stakeholder collaboration in support of sustainable development. Building on its first year of operations, the Center focused not only on expanding its activities, but on strengthening the quality, coherence, and relevance of how learning and engagement are delivered.

Throughout the year, CIFAL Lebanon implemented a diverse portfolio of learning and outreach initiatives that combined structured capacity-building with opportunities for dialogue, exchange, and reflection. Together, these activities reinforced the Center’s dual role as both a provider of learning programmes and a convening platform supporting cross-sector and cross-regional engagement.

Evolving Approaches to Learning

A defining feature of 2025 was the continued evolution of CIFAL Lebanon’s learning delivery model. While webinar-based programming remained an important foundation, the Center expanded toward more applied, interactive, and partner-supported formats. This included the delivery of its first in-person workshop, as well as the introduction of academically anchored courses developed and delivered in collaboration with higher education partners.

These developments reflected growing demand for learning experiences that move beyond awareness-raising toward practical application, peer exchange, and skills development. By broadening its learning formats, CIFAL Lebanon strengthened its ability to respond to varied institutional needs and support more meaningful engagement across professional and sectoral contexts.

Thematic Priorities Grounded in Practice

In 2025, CIFAL Lebanon structured its programming around a set of interconnected thematic priorities aligned with global sustainability agendas and real-world institutional challenges. These included governance and accountability, emergency preparedness and resilience, ESG integration—particularly within the healthcare sector—professional and digital skills development, and sustainable development more broadly.

Emergency preparedness emerged as a key focus area through a structured Emergency Response Planning series that introduced participants to preparedness frameworks, coordination mechanisms, and institutional readiness in crisis contexts. At the same time, continued delivery of the ESG in Healthcare webinar series supported sector-specific dialogue on integrating environmental, social, and governance considerations into healthcare governance, operations, and long-term resilience.

Strong participation in proposal writing and artificial intelligence–related sessions further highlighted sustained demand for practical, workforce-relevant competencies, underscoring the importance of complementing sustainability-focused learning with professional and digital skills.

Dialogue and Exchange Beyond the Classroom

Alongside formal learning activities, CIFAL Lebanon continued to strengthen its role as a space for dialogue, exchange, and public engagement. Public discussions, thematic roundtables, and international engagements created opportunities for practitioners, institutions, and stakeholders to share experiences, reflect on emerging challenges, and engage in collective learning.

Through active participation in the CIFAL Global Network and the wider UNITAR ecosystem, CIFAL Lebanon contributed to cross-regional and international conversations on sustainability, governance, resilience, and institutional development. These engagements reinforced the Center’s role as a convening platform that supports learning not only through training, but through exchange and collaboration.

Partnerships at the Core of Delivery

Partnerships remained central to CIFAL Lebanon’s work throughout 2025. Collaboration with academic institutions, civil society organizations, professional networks, and public-sector stakeholders informed both the design and delivery of learning activities, ensuring that programming remained responsive to evolving needs and grounded in practice.

Through its hosting arrangement, CIFAL Lebanon also continued to benefit from the strategic and technical support of ADEC Innovations, enabling the Center to bridge public-sector priorities with private-sector expertise and applied sustainability practice. Ongoing engagement within the CIFAL Global Network further strengthened opportunities for shared learning and collaboration across regions.

Strengthening the Foundations for the Future

Beyond individual activities, 2025 marked a year of institutional strengthening for CIFAL Lebanon. The Center advanced more structured and progressive learning pathways, particularly in monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) and professional skills development, laying the groundwork for future certification pathways and deeper learning progression.

At the same time, CIFAL Lebanon strengthened its digital learning infrastructure through the continued development of its Virtual School, supporting improved access, learning continuity, and future scalability.

As CIFAL Lebanon looks ahead, the foundations established in 2025 position the Center to further enhance the quality, reach, and impact of its capacity-building and convening activities. Through continued collaboration, adaptive learning approaches, and a commitment to dialogue and partnership, CIFAL Lebanon remains focused on supporting institutions and practitioners in navigating complex sustainability and development challenges.

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