Ghassan Tayoun


Public Profile

  • Current elected member of the Municipal Council of Zgharta Ehden, and lead of the International Relations, Decentralized Cooperation and Strategic Planning municipal committee.
  • Vice president of the Federation of Zgharta Caza Municipalities.
  • Head of the Zgharta Region interim Destination Management Organization (ZR_DMO).
  • Liaison and Coordinator of cross-border programs with AUDE department, AURA region, Dunkerque & CUD, Chambery and Grand Chambery (France), MedCities (Spain).
  • Current representative of the Municipality of Zgharta-Ehden as member of UCLG Lebanon; elected member of the Lebanese Mayors’ Committee (LMC). Member of several commissions within the LMC. Liaison officer with BTVL.

Biographic Summary

  • Works with European, Mediterranean, National and sub-regional authorities towards localization of the UN2030 agenda SDGs.
  • Believes in Participative Governance as a gateway to integrated sustainable development planning and implementation.
  • Promotes social and technological innovation as a means to leverage the youth and women’s potential in the local socio-economic development momentum.
  • Has extensive experience in territorial prospective and embedment of circularity principles, environmental and socio-economic criteria in sustainable strategic development planning.
  • Led consultancy missions for tourism strategic planning in Lebanon, the Middle East and North Africa on national and regional levels.

Affiliations:

  • Member of the Order of Engineers and Architects (North Chapter, #2776)
  • Member of several national commissions for establishment of new codes (Seismic Design, Traffic Safety, Land use, regional urban codes and local ordinances (MOI/LIBNOR)
  • Founding Member of COSAQ “Communauté de Sauvegarde de la Qadisha” (the Qadisha Valley was listed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage in 1998), ALPAD “Association Libanaise pour le Patrimoine et le Développement », LAMINDA “Lebanese Association for Mine Action and Disaster Prevention”

Other:

  • Holds bachelor and postgraduate degrees in civil Engineering (Canada and France)
  • Fluent in English, French and Arabic. Working understanding of Spanish and Italian.

All Sessions by Ghassan Tayoun

  • Day 1 June 8th, 2022


  • 16:30  - 17:30
    Mr. Vincent Ernoux, Managing Authority, ENI CBC Med Programme
    Ms. Deborah Rezzoagli, Director of Geographic Area, Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli (CISP)
    Mr. Julien Le Tellier, Programme Management Officer, United Nations Environment Programme / Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP)
    Mr. Ghassan Tayoun, Deputy mayor, Zgharta / Ehden Municipality
    Moderates: Mr. Marcello Scalisi, Director of UNIMED - Mediterranean Universities Union

    In 1995, the Barcelona Declaration launched the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership with the objective to create an area of peace, shared prosperity, and human and cultural exchanges. Since then, much has been achieved in the cultural, academic and civil society cooperation but there is still much to do at economic and political level, even though these sectors were considered strategic and top priorities. Even if we have abandoned ambitious initiatives such as the “free trade area”, the recent announcement of a “New agenda for the Mediterranean” is a concrete proof that a strengthened Mediterranean partnership remains a strategic imperative for European countries. Amongst the economic sectors we should pay more attention to in this renewed framework, there should surely be tourism for its potential of leading a positive transformation and impact on the Mediterranean most urgent and strategic challenges such as: climate change, biodiversity protection and innovation and competitiveness. Besides, we have learned from the experience of the Sustainable Tourism Community, and not only, that a bottom-up political and governance approach aiming at promoting more sustainable tourist models and practices can trigger virtuous social and economic integration processes; as well as strengthen the cultural cooperation amongst Euro-Mediterranean communities that takes into account each other specificities, exigencies and sensibilities.

    From the contribution of a network association of municipalities, a UN agency specialised in Environmental Protection and an association as well as the experience of a managing authority we will better understand how transnational and international cooperation programs can contribute to make tourism become a real driver for economic and cultural development and, ultimately, to shape the future “Mediterranean Generation”.





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Ghassan Tayoun