LEBANON – The United Nations Global Compact Network Lebanon organized a meeting titled “Keeping Pace with International Standards and Reporting Requirements to Enhance Export Readiness,” under the patronage of Minister of Industry Joe Issa El Khoury, at BDD Beirut Digital District, under the theme “Lebanese Industry: Towards a Sustainable Future.”
In his speech, the Minister said the event comes at a pivotal moment for global trade. He stressed that markets are being structurally redesigned not through tariffs or quotas, but through standards.
He noted that for Lebanon, this is a decisive moment. The country can either treat these changes as external pressures or transform them into a strategic opportunity for reform and growth. Sustainability, he said, is no longer optional but a fundamental condition for entering global markets.
He explained that carbon-related trade tools, circular economy requirements, packaging standards, due diligence obligations, and traceability now directly affect contracts, supply chains, financing, and trade agreements. All require reliable and verifiable evidence.
The Minister emphasized that sustainability has become a key pillar of the Ministry’s national industrial strategy. Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems are now real industrial requirements, not just administrative procedures.
He added that these systems help companies measure emissions, track materials, improve efficiency, reduce financing risks, access green funding, and protect exporters from sudden market exclusion.
For Lebanon, which depends heavily on imported energy and raw materials, reducing waste preserves foreign currency and increases competitiveness. The Ministry is also promoting Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), based on the Polluter Pays Principle, as part of structural reforms.
He concluded that sustainability is no longer a choice but a reality of global markets. Lebanon, he said, views international standards not as obstacles, but as bridges to new opportunities, investment, and long-term partnerships.
