AUB launches observatory
for governance and citizenship

To promote democratic values and human rights

The American University of Beirut (AUB) has launched the Good Governance and Citizenship Observatory to foster good governance and active citizenship in Lebanon and the Middle East and North Africa region.

“The ultimate goal is to create a society where citizens are informed, engaged, and active contributors to democratic values, human rights, and societal well-being,” AUB said in a statement.

The observatory, which will be part of AUB’s Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship, will seek to educate policymakers, empower citizens, and promote dialogue.

Simon Kachar, founding director of the observatory, said that their initiative aims to accomplish a change in the mentalities of young elites that would lead to an intellectual and moral revolution in Lebanon which would enable the country to achieve internal cohesion and become a global cultural hub.

Saouma BouJaoude, senior advisor to AUB president, said current pressing issues of citizenship education in Lebanon include sectarianism and identity politics, absence of a unified national curriculum, marginalization of citizenship education in official exams, political interference, insufficient teacher training, limited civic engagement, and conflicting national narratives.