Assistance to Sustain Local Democratic Practices in Lebanon is a three-year administrative and technical development program initiated in December of 2008 targeting municipalities and municipal unions with complementary assistance to be extended to the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities (MOIM), regional governments, and central oversight agencies.

Recognizing strong local government as a prerequisite to establishing foundations for overall good governance in Lebanon - and improved municipal capacities as essential to implementation of its economic development portfolio in the Country - USAID extended the existing cooperative agreement with SUNY/CLD through December of 2011 to allow several critical issues confronting municipalities to be addressed.

These include the sustainability of achievements to date in terms of local government modernization and reform, the need for balanced institutional development across all municipal divisions in major municipalities, and the challenges as well as the opportunities posed by the municipal elections slated for 2010.