Saida, Lebanon (Enmaeya News) — Facing economic problems, climate challenges and a growing refugee population, the city of Saida has launched a plan to improve its ability to respond to crises and grow in a more sustainable way.
Home to over 250,000 people—including large communities of displaced Syrians and Palestinians—Saida is Lebanon’s third-largest city and faces mounting strain on its infrastructure and public services. To address these pressures, the municipality is partnering with international organizations to develop a long-term urban resilience strategy.
“There is a lack of proper planning institutions and frameworks, lack of data, and a lack of national strategies or updated policies,” said Tarek Osseiran, head of UN-Habitat Lebanon.
With support from MedCities, the UN-Habitat’s City Resilience Global Programme, and the Barcelona City Council, Saida has launched the Resilience Building Project—a comprehensive effort to build a full resilience profile for the city. The project began with a three-day technical workshop, which brought together local officials, urban experts and international partners to coordinate planning tools and set shared priorities.
At the heart of the project is the City Resilience Profiling Tool (CRPT), developed by UN-Habitat to help cities identify vulnerabilities and build more inclusive, stable systems.
“This high-impact partnership between the City of Barcelona, MedCities and UN-Habitat is more than a technical collaboration,” said Mayor Mustafa M. Hijazi. “It’s a strategic investment in the city’s long-term resilience, empowering it to navigate risks and turn challenges into opportunities.”
Local and Global Collaboration
Home to more than 250,000 residents—including large communities of displaced Syrians and Palestinians—Saida faces major pressure on its public services, infrastructure and institutional systems. The new project aims to help the city respond better to ongoing shocks and long-term stress.
“There is a lack of proper planning institutions and frameworks, lack of data, and a lack of national strategies or updated policies,” said Tarek Osseiran, head of UN-Habitat Lebanon.
During the workshop, Mayor Hijazi joined Saida’s head of international relations, two technical experts in urban resilience, MedCities, and the UN-Habitat team to discuss major risks facing the city. Together, they identified key shocks, stresses, and systemic challenges, and agreed on a set of indicators, data sources and methodologies to collect the information needed for future decision-making.
The team also outlined how to engage more stakeholders through future workshops, ensuring that all sectors and communities are represented in the city’s resilience planning.
Building Capacity Through the CRPT
Throughout the workshop, UN-Habitat’s experts provided in-depth training on the CRPT framework, which guides cities through a structured review of their social, environmental, economic, and institutional systems.
On the second day, participants worked to define specific indicators in each area and reviewed where data is already available and where gaps remain. These findings will shape the city’s upcoming full diagnosis of risks and capacities.
City officials also presented their current disaster risk assessment approach, which includes official reports, local knowledge and field verification. The goal is to generate realistic, evidence-based recommendations that support coordinated action and align with both local and national priorities.
“In these situations, we unfortunately lose a lot of time in intervening due to the lack of updated and structured action plans,” Mayor Hijazi said. “Risk mapping is needed for any stakeholder. We need to understand the data and scenario-based forecasts in order to set priorities, plan effectively, and make evidence-based decisions.”
Toward a Resilient Saida
The final day of the workshop focused on long-term integration. Participants drafted the Recommendations of Actions for Resilience and Sustainability (RAR-S)—a roadmap outlining goals, suggested actions, and steps for embedding resilience into governance and planning systems.
Ongoing challenges such as limited resources, poor coordination, and gaps in institutional knowledge were openly discussed. The group identified core areas for improvement, including stronger communication, clearer responsibilities between actors, and more structured approaches to data use.
Looking ahead, Saida plans to finalize its updated resilience profile by the end of 2025, with continued technical support from MedCities, UN-Habitat, and the Barcelona City Council. The municipality will use the CRPT’s templates, data tools and facilitation guides to complete its citywide risk assessment and build a shared foundation for future decision-making.
