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Lebanon’s embassies are in urgent need of essential restructuring. Considerable sums of money were being wasted, while crucial needs were often neglected. Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib announced on Tuesday June 20 the Ministry’s austerity measures which resulted in reducing expenditures by 14 million dollars in 2022.
Lebanese diplomacy requires significant reorganization, and its expenditures have been the topic of heated debates. Vast amounts of money are being needlessly squandered, while necessities are frequently overlooked.
Lebanon has a total of 89 diplomatic missions abroad, including embassies and general consulates. The annual total salary for diplomats posted overseas amounts to approximately $30 million, with monthly salaries ranging between $10,000 and $15,000. The overall cost of maintaining diplomatic missions is estimated at $60 million. This amount has significantly decreased from the pre-economic and financial crisis figure, which amounted to $120 million. Consular revenues are estimated to be around $20 million per year. Of all the Lebanese embassies, New York’s is reported to be the most costly.
The employees’ salaries in Lebanese embassies are calculated according to the United Nations charter, to which expatriation allowances are added. Since the onset of the economic crisis in October 2019, diplomats’ salaries are not being paid on a monthly basis, due to the Ministry’s difficulty in securing US dollars.
In April of last year, the Ministry had to give up the lease of the Lebanese consulate building in Paris due to financial constraints, with the consulate’s rent amounting to 220,000 euros per year.
Twelve Diplomatic Offices at Risk of Closing
Twelve embassies and consulates deemed non-essential could potentially close their doors. A decision in that regard can only be taken by the Council of Ministers. However, it is unlikely that the caretaker government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati will address this issue at present.
In a press conference Tuesday, Bou Habib announced that the Ministry’s austerity measures resulted in reducing the expenses of diplomatic missions by an estimated 14 million dollars in 2022.
“We have asked the ambassadors to cut down their salaries and their mission expenses, and cancelled 165 positions that were filled by local employees,” Bou Habib said, adding that the austerity plan is still a “work in process” as more salary cuts and reductions in the number of local employees is planned.
Bou Habib pointed out that the raise in fees of consular and chancellery transactions generated considerable revenues by 15 embassies, enabling them to sustain their operations as well as help sustain the operations of other missions with less income.
“The Foreign Ministry is only paying diplomats’ salaries,” he added.
Poorly Managed Diplomatic Missions
Contacted by This Is Beirut, a diplomat, who requested anonymity, stated that Lebanon’s representation abroad is as poorly managed as the country itself. They believe that certain embassies could be closed or merged and run by what is known in diplomatic jargon as a non-resident ambassador. This is already in effect in Lebanon. For example, Lebanon is represented by the same ambassador in both the Vatican and Portugal. As a result, embassy rents and administrative staff salaries are reduced.
“We must live within our means. In some countries, ambassadors’ residences exceed essential standards. Similarly, Lebanon has been renting in highly expensive areas. What is the point of these excessive and unnecessary expenses?” they asked. The diplomat further emphasized that “some diplomats receive exorbitant salaries, and certain positions should be phased out. For instance, Lebanon does not need several military attachés per country.”
The diplomat criticized the fact that the Foreign Ministry is trapped in “Lebanese-style nepotism and corruption.” They explained that “it is not about reducing Lebanon’s influence, role, or status abroad, but rather about reorganizing diplomacy by fine-tuning the missions.”
The Exorbitant Price of a Lebanese Passport Abroad
Furthermore, the Lebanese passport is one of the most expensive in the world. Renewing a Lebanese passport abroad costs a fortune. The cost of a passport valid for 10 years is $600 in the United States, compared to around $130 for an American passport. In France, renewing a Lebanese passport costs €528, compared to €96 for a French passport. The list goes on: it costs CAD 720 in Canada, £429 in England, AED 2,210 in the United Arab Emirates… In essence, it ranges between $540 and $600. It’s quite pricey for a document that is ranked 99th out of 108 in the 2023 Henley Index and one that allows visa-free access to only 41 countries.
By comparison, renewing a passport in Lebanon costs 12 million LBP, or approximately $129. For expedited processing, 2,800,000 LBP, or about $30, must be added.
