World Bank Launches $250M LEAP for Lebanon’s Urgent Infrastructure Recovery

LEAP is more than a reconstruction project—it is a national recovery roadmap, aiming to restore basic services, rebuild critical assets, and revive economic confidence in Lebanon’s future.

In a decisive step toward post-conflict recovery, the World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved a US$250 million financing package to support Lebanon’s urgent infrastructure rehabilitation and sustainable debris management. The newly unveiled Lebanon Emergency Assistance Project (LEAP) is designed as a scalable recovery initiative to address the extensive damage caused by the country’s ongoing conflict and lay the groundwork for long-term national reconstruction and development.

LEAP is a component of a broader US$1 billion recovery framework, with this initial World Bank contribution acting as a catalytic investment to attract and coordinate support from additional development partners, bilateral donors, and multilateral institutions.

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Catastrophic Damage Spurs Urgent Action

The approval comes in the wake of the Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA), which evaluated the consequences of the conflict that erupted between October 8, 2023, and December 20, 2024. The assessment, conducted jointly by the World Bank, United Nations, and European Union, estimated total direct damages at US$7.2 billion across 10 critical sectors, with reconstruction and recovery needs totaling US$11 billion.

Particularly severe impacts were observed in the transportation, water, energy, municipal services, health, and education sectors, where physical infrastructure destruction has hindered access to essential services and disrupted economic activities. The RDNA identified approximately US$1.1 billion in damages to these critical areas, underlining the urgency of intervention.

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A Scalable and Transparent Recovery Framework

LEAP adopts a phased and integrated approach to infrastructure restoration, reconstruction, and resilience-building. The project’s structure enables flexibility in response to the evolving scale of needs, with US$250 million in initial financing designed to scale up to US$1 billion, subject to further contributions.

Jean-Christophe Carret, World Bank Middle East Country Director, emphasized the project’s foundational principles:

“LEAP offers a credible and scalable vehicle for development partners to coordinate under a unified, government-led platform—one that prioritizes transparency, accountability, and results.”

He further noted that continued support is contingent on parallel progress in Lebanon’s reform agenda, particularly institutional strengthening, fiscal accountability, and public sector transparency.

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Priorities: Rubble, Reconstruction, and Resilience

LEAP’s initial objectives include:

• Safe rubble management, focusing on maximizing recycling and reuse, in compliance with environmental sustainability standards.

• Rapid repair of critical public services and infrastructure — especially in water, power, transport, healthcare, education, and municipal services.

• Design and assessment for long-term reconstruction efforts, incorporating environmental and social safeguards.

This framework will employ a data-driven area-based prioritization model, endorsed by Lebanon’s Council of Ministers, to ensure efficient resource allocation based on severity of damage, community needs, and recovery potential. The methodology enables integrated, localized investment packages that accelerate return to normalcy in affected regions.

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Institutional Reform to Ensure Efficient Implementation

To guarantee swift execution, Lebanon has implemented structural reforms in the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) — the agency tasked with implementing LEAP. Measures include the reconstitution of the CDR Board of Directors and the streamlining of administrative procedures for LEAP projects, aligned with international best practices in emergency response.

Additionally, oversight will be ensured by Lebanon’s Prime Minister’s Office, with inter-ministerial coordination at the Council of Ministers level. The Ministry of Public Works and Transport will be the lead execution agency, while the Ministry of Environment will supervise compliance with environmental and social standards, especially for debris and rubble operations.

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Enhanced World Bank Supervision and Compliance Mechanisms

Recognizing the critical importance of oversight and accountability in post-conflict recovery, the World Bank will deploy an international engineering and compliance firm to assist with enhanced supervision. This firm will monitor:

• Technical and environmental due diligence

• Fiduciary compliance and procurement transparency

• Anti-Money Laundering (AML) safeguards

• Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) checks

These safeguards are intended to uphold international standards of integrity and ensure that the LEAP framework is implemented effectively, free from corruption and mismanagement.

Toward a Recovered and Resilient Lebanon

LEAP is more than a reconstruction project—it is a national recovery roadmap, aiming to restore basic services, rebuild critical assets, and revive economic confidence in Lebanon’s future. The project’s success could serve as a model for conflict-affected countries grappling with overlapping humanitarian, infrastructural, and governance challenges.

By creating a centralized and transparent framework with strong institutional backing, Lebanon and its partners are taking concrete steps to rebuild infrastructure, revitalize communities, and reclaim hope in the wake of devastating conflict.