SPNL to expand the initiative through engagement with ten ministries and launch it internationally in Nairobi on 8 September 2026
A broad coalition of 118 Lebanese local environmental non-governmental organizations has endorsed the Memorandum of Understanding and Charter of Hima for Peace, marking an important step towards transforming the revival of the Hima system into an inclusive national partnership movement.
The endorsing organizations, working together through the Lebanese Environmental Forum and in cooperation with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL), have affirmed their shared commitment to reviving and expanding the Hima approach as a community-led model for biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, climate resilience and peacebuilding.
The initiative places municipalities and local communities at the heart of environmental stewardship. In keeping with the historic principles of the Hima system, it promotes partnerships with municipal councils to protect and sustainably manage municipal commons, forests, wetlands, rangelands, agricultural areas and other shared natural resources.
The endorsement by 118 organizations reflects growing recognition that environmental protection cannot be achieved through isolated projects or by a single institution. It requires a nationwide movement bringing together civil society, municipalities, ministries, public institutions, universities, religious authorities, landowners, women, young people and local communities.
Following this landmark civil society endorsement, SPNL and its partners will engage with ten Lebanese ministries to broaden public-sector participation in the initiative. This institutional outreach will seek to ensure that Hima for Peace develops as a genuine national partnership, supported by coordinated action across environmental conservation, local development, agriculture, education, culture, tourism, youth engagement and climate resilience.
“The endorsement of the Hima for Peace initiative by 118 Lebanese environmental organizations sends a powerful message: the revival of the Hima is no longer the work of one organization, but a growing national movement,” said Assad Serhal, Director General of SPNL. “Our next step is to engage ten ministries and strengthen our partnerships with municipalities, ensuring that this initiative brings together civil society, public institutions and local communities. At the same time, we will continue working closely with our regional and international partners to carry this shared vision beyond Lebanon.”
The Hima for Peace initiative is founded on the understanding that healthy ecosystems support stable, resilient and peaceful societies. It draws inspiration from the Hima, one of the world’s oldest systems of community-based conservation, through which communities collectively protect and manage land, water, pasture and other natural resources for the common good.
The Memorandum of Understanding incorporates a ten-point Charter calling on participating institutions and communities to:
- Protect and restore nature and biodiversity;
- Strengthen community stewardship and participatory governance;
- Promote sustainable livelihoods and green local economies;
- Preserve natural and cultural heritage;
- Empower young people and future generations;
- Advance peace and dialogue through nature;
- Build community resilience to climate change;
- Combine traditional knowledge with science and innovation;
- Strengthen ecological connectivity; and
- Foster regional and international cooperation.
The initiative was adopted at the Levant Hima Meeting, held at the Garden of Patriarchs in Diman, Lebanon, on 6 August 2026. SPNL serves as its founding custodian and initial secretariat. The initiative also reflects cooperation with UNESCO in the fields of cultural heritage, environmental education, scientific knowledge and regional dialogue, alongside partnerships with IUCN and BirdLife International to protect endangered species, habitats and migratory flyways through community-led conservation.
The Hima for Peace initiative will be presented at the BirdLife Global Partnership Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, on 8 September 2026, providing an international platform to share Lebanon’s experience in reviving the Hima and to expand cooperation with regional and global partners.
Through this combined local, national, regional and international engagement, SPNL and the 118 endorsing organizations aim to demonstrate that the Hima can provide a practical framework for reconnecting people with nature, strengthening local governance, supporting sustainable livelihoods and building cooperation across communities and borders.
The Memorandum of Understanding is a voluntary statement of shared commitment and does not create legal or financial obligations. It offers municipalities, public institutions, civil society organizations and other partners a common framework through which they can coordinate their efforts while acting within their respective mandates and capacities.
