LOST Hosts A Discussion Forum on “Peace-Building in the MENA Region”

The Lebanese Organization of Studies and Training (LOST) hosted a discussion forum on the topic of “Mapping a Public Picture on Civil Peace-Building Knowledge Production” in the MENA Region at the headquarters of the Lebanese Youth Network (LYN) on the Ras-El-Ain Avenue in Baalbeck.

The forum is based on a research study published by Peacebuilding Academy and authored by the latter’s Executive Director Professor Ramy Lakkis titled “Mapping Peacebuilding Knowledge Production in the MENA”. The study is a qualitative evaluation of research-work on peace and conflict in the Region and defines peace-building in the context of MENA. It reveals four categories of peace-building research including Peace-Building and Conflict Resolution, Peace-Building and Governance, Peace-Building and Youth Engagement and Peace-Building and Democratization and two methodologies followed in the field and which include the Normative Approach and the Analytical Approach. In addition, the study provides an overview of the peace-building research production field in Lebanon and recommends additional research initiatives in peace-building and a more-organized approach to peace-building research, as well as the creation of opportunities for networking among stakeholders.

LOST trainer Manar Zaayter delivered the opening remarks of the event and served as the forum’s moderator. Professor Ramy Lakkis, the study’s author, headed the forum discussion. Lakkis is a holder of a Doctorate degree in International Affairs from the University of Durham in Britain and of a Master and Bachelor degrees from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. He founded LOST in 1997 and ever since then has managed over USD 2 Million in grants for development projects in the Baalbeck-Hermel Region from some of the premier international donors including the Government of the United States of America and of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The “Mapping Peacebuilding Knowledge Production in the MENA” research study is a LOST product and aligns with LOST’s mission of serving as a development research institution in the Baalbeck-Hermel Region. In addition, LOST leads development initiatives in the same region aimed at raising the standard of living and building a democratic civil society therein.