Governance of Associations

Programme Overview

Governance of Associations is a governance training programme targeting NGOs of all sizes and sectors in Lebanon developed in joint collaboration between the UN Global Compact Network Lebanon, the Institute for Finance and Governance (IFG), and ESA Business School.

The 4-month training was conceptualized in efforts to strengthen NGOs’ structure, simplify their procedures, and enhance their credibility by enabling them to:

• Understand the principles and the role of good corporate governance
• Understand the Board of Directors’ mission and its regulatory framework
• Identify good practices for an effective Board of Directors;
• Identify the actions to be taken internally to develop a climate of trust between the Board of Directors and employees
• Understand business realities to adapt to alterations with ESA-CRED (the ESA Center for Research, Studies, and Documentation)
• Reflect transparency and credibility to attract donors and funds

Modules and Speakers

Module 1: Corporate Governance for NGOs (November 24th, 2022)

In this module, participants were introduced to the corporate governance structure for NGOs and heard from two speakers:

• Mr. Alain Martel, Training Director at LEDCONSEIL and experienced consultant on governance, on how NGOs can assess, establish, and strengthen the effectiveness of their corporate governance; and
• Mr. Muhannad Al-Jarrah, a professional fundraiser and strategic planner, who shared about corporate governance from a fundraising lens as well as the elements of a good fundraising strategy.

Module 2: The Role of the Board of Directors (December 15th, 2022)

The second module of the programme covered the role of the Board of Directors of an NGO. Participants learned about this topic through insights from:

• Mr. Edouard Silvério, Trainer at the French Institute of Administrators (AFA) and President of MoovInGov, who did a deep dive on the roles, duties, and responsibilities of the Board of Directors; and
• Mr. Richard Haykel, a Board Member of several NGOs and Chairman of Haykel Hospital in Tripoli, Lebanon, who gave his perspectives and advised on the pain points of NGOs in the country.

Module 3: Striving for Best Practices (January 19th, 2023)

During this module, speakers covered various aspects of corporate governance, the role of NGOs in wider society, the importance of auditing, and a growing trend of looking at NGOs as inspiration for the private sector. Participants heard from:

• Dr. Abdel Maoula Chaar, Director of Academic Affairs and the head of the DBA of the African Business School in Rabat, Morocco;
• Dr. Sally Shamieh, Research Project Manager at the ESA Center for Research, Studies and Documentation (ESA-CRED);
• Mr. Karl Soued, Deputy Director of the CCI France Liban and Program Manager of ESA Coding Lab; and
• Mr. Yasser Akkaoui, Founder & CEO of Capital Concept.

Module 4: Roundtable (February 16th, 2023)

During this in-person, interactive module, participants reflected on their journey in the programme and mapped out their next steps through an action-planning exercise. They were also joined by two speakers from earlier sessions, Dr. Sally Shamieh and Mr. Alain Martel, who answered questions from participants and spoke about their perspectives on governance.