Founded in 2015, the WAY Center for Policy Studies” is an independently managed, non-partisan, non-profit, non-governmental think tank whose mission is to produce and advocate policies that improve governance and help preserve civil peace in Lebanon.
Currently, WAY Center for Policy Studies has five primary research and advocacy focuses:
- Preserving Civil Peace in Lebanon
- Strengthening Recognition of the Other
- Advocating for Peacebuilding
- Supporting Lebanese Youth
- Promoting the Peacebuilding Concept
The Centre is an independent policy research institute based in Tripoli, Lebanon, and provides in-depth analysis of the political, socioeconomic, and security issues facing Tripoli and Lebanon. It draws its scholarship from a pool of top regional experts.
Research and Advocacy Focuses
1. Preserving Civil Peace in Lebanon
The Centre works to support policies and initiatives that contribute to preserving civil peace in Lebanon.
2. Strengthening Recognition of the Other
The Centre promotes recognition and understanding of the “Other” as an essential component of dialogue and social cohesion in Lebanese society.
3. Advocating for Peacebuilding
The Centre advocates for peacebuilding approaches that contribute to strengthening peaceful coexistence and social cohesion.
4. Supporting Lebanese Youth
The Centre supports Lebanese youth and encourages their participation in initiatives related to peacebuilding, dialogue, and Lebanese society.
5. Promoting the Peacebuilding Concept
The Centre promotes the concept of peacebuilding and its importance in contributing to a more peaceful and cohesive Lebanese society.
Principles
Independent research, free dialogue, and a commitment to Lebanese unity and civil peace remain at the heart of the Centre’s work.
1. Lebanese Unity
The unification of Lebanon is considered not only a multifaceted process but also a multi-phased process, with political unification possible only as its final culmination.
Therefore, it is important to proceed according to clearly perceived priorities and stages, setting in motion a gradual and continuous process that will not be interrupted or halted by setbacks or temporary crises.
2. Learning from International Experiences
The contemporary experiences of regions outside Lebanon striving to achieve unity can serve as a useful guide to Lebanese efforts.
Such experiences warrant careful study and analysis as a means of providing a more thorough understanding of the concept of unity.
3. Participation of Lebanese Society
The objectives of the Centre require that it address itself to all age groups, classes, and categories of Lebanese society in the appropriate form and style.
Every effort should be made to extend participation in the Centre’s activities to include the largest possible number of intellectuals and specialists from all of Lebanon and in all fields.
4. Free Dialogue and Diversity of Opinions
The identity of contributors to the Centre’s activities is subject to no preconditions apart from the requirement that they believe firmly in Lebanese unity, whatever other beliefs and opinions they may hold.
The Centre represents a forum for free dialogue in which there is room for a full range of opinions.
5. Independence and Non-Political Engagement
None of the studies, research, or seminars conducted by the Centre, nor any of its other activities, shall deal with current political conditions in Lebanon.
Furthermore, the Centre shall not adopt any directly political positions, engage in any political activity, enter into any political disputes or conflicts, associate itself with any government, support any regime, enter into any political alliances, or join any fronts.
6. Independent Funding
In financing its activities, the Centre relies on donations and material assistance from governments, institutions, and individuals in Lebanon and abroad who manifest the desire to provide such assistance without imposing any conditions or restrictions on the activity, objectives, or philosophy of the Centre.
Organizational Structure
The activity of the Centre is governed and implemented by three bodies: the Board of Trustees, the Executive Committee, and the General Secretariat.
1. Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees, composed mainly of founding members, supervises the activity of the Centre and the work of the Executive Committee, secures the resources of the Centre, and approves the budget. The Board convenes at least once yearly and takes its decisions by majority vote.
2. Executive Committee
The Executive Committee consists of five members elected by the Board of Trustees from among its own membership for terms of three years.
The Executive Committee assumes the duties of the Board of Trustees whenever the Board is not in session.
3. General Secretariat
The General Secretariat is responsible for implementing the Centre’s program.
Headed by a Director-General appointed by the Board of Trustees, the Secretariat employs a nucleus of full-time staff members to manage its various departments.
The Centre’s departments currently include:
- Research
- Documentation
- Editing and Publication
- Distribution
- Administration
In addition, the Centre relies extensively on part-time researchers.
WAY Center for Policy Studies
Independent research, free dialogue, and a commitment to Lebanese unity and civil peace remain at the heart of the Centre’s work.