February 2018, The Land Border Regiments’ Training School (CTS), a small, unassuming unit of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) is established with a simple yet ambitious goal: to become an integrated border management training centre of excellence. Against all the odds, but with the continuous support of ICMPD’s Netherlands’ Assistance to Lebanese Border Agencies (IBM) Project, the School has grown to become one of Lebanon’s most sought–after and trusted training institutions.
Despite the serious impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the continuing economic and political instability particularly felt in Lebanon, the Land Border Regiments’ Training School (CTS), the youngest of the Lebanese Army’s training institutions, has managed to make a name for itself and reap excellent results to date. The School’s increasing ability to offer quality-assured training products delivered by competent professionals in a growing range of subjects has led to the continuing expansion of its client base. Various sister Lebanese border agencies/state institutions (like the central bank of Lebanon, Banque du Liban and State Security) and notably, regional and international actors have already approached the School seeking training.
In October 2019, following an unprecedented request from the United Nations’ Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the CTS delivered a course on document security to their international counterparts; this ground-breaking event was labelled a ‘landmark moment for international cooperation’. With the CTS’ successes ever more echoing, the School is now moving to a regional basis with training partnerships with Iraq being currently envisaged. This is beginning with a round of document security courses jointly coordinated and funded by ICMPD’s Netherlands’ and Silk Routes’ (Integrated Border Management in the Silk Route Countries) Projects.
Set to take place starting March 2021, it will open the door to a longer-term and broader cooperation between the two countries. Thanks to these initiatives, the School is effortlessly proving that the concept of IBM (Integrated Border Management) especially as it relates to training – and no matter how simple in theory – is extremely valuable and should never be reduced to mere ink on paper. If applied properly, it offers an exceptional mechanism for knowledge-sharing, and cross-fertilisation amongst different agencies and countries.
A Green, Safe and Gender-inclusive Environment
In addition to upholding the highest standards in training, the School pays particular attention to environmental awareness, gender mainstreaming and health and safety.
The CTS currently boasts an Environmental Management Strategy that establishes a responsible environmental doctrine that will help reduce its carbon footprint, make sustainable use of renewable energy solutions, and more importantly raise awareness on the importance of preserving the environment. Supported by ICMPD’s Netherlands’ Assistance to Lebanese Border Agencies project, the CTS has already obtained sets of recycling sorting bins, water collection barrels, bicycles, a water filtration system and is currently in the process of installing a fully comprehensive solar and water-heating energy system.
With respect to gender mainstreaming, the CTS has also taken concrete measures to enhance female inclusion in a traditionally male-dominated environment. A policy guiding the School towards establishing a ‘gender-aware working environment within a culture of gender equality and human rights’ respect’ was put in place. In practical terms, the CTS has long-supported the development of female trainers and has repeatedly encouraged the participation of female staff in typically ‘male-oriented’ courses (more on this, here). Convinced by the importance of duty of care and the establishment of a safe working environment for all, regardless of rank, gender or occupation, the School furthermore adopted a Health and Safety Policy. Complementing the latter, an Evacuation Plan was developed and specialised teams were created and suitably equipped for this purpose. Through the Netherlands’ Assistance to Lebanese Border Agencies Project, the School secured several static and mobile medical response equipment (including full trauma kits), high-visibility tabards, and fire detection, alarm, evacuation and fighting equipment. An accredited Emergency Medicine Techniques (EMT) course and a series of first aid training courses will also be provided by the project.
Innovation in the Time of COVID
When confronted with a global pandemic and the plethora of restrictions it imposed, the School promptly and proactively pursued ways to mitigate its impact and establish alternative arrangements to traditional training methods, including a move to more virtual training. A state-of-the-art, fully-equipped Netherlands’-funded Distance Learning Suite (DLS) was installed at the School soon-after the onset of the pandemic (a video of the DLS is available here). The establishment of such a high-quality facility not only embraces new training methodologies but goes far beyond the current situation, enabling the School to much more easily and competently establish connections to their target audience within Lebanon and abroad. Online and blended courses have already been delivered throughout 2020, with more being scheduled for 2021.
Best Practices and International Certification
In December 2020, the School became the first training unit amongst all Lebanese border agencies to achieve full compliance with the ISO EOMS (Educational Organizations Management Systems) standard. This success is mainly attributed to a steadfast leadership coupled with the unwavering commitment of the serving men and women, and a Project providing tailor-made, needs-based support. The benefits yielded by the certification include streamlined procedures, enhanced efficiency, solid monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and professional development amongst others. Today, the CTS is not only an ISO-compliant institution but more importantly a role model to numerous other LAF and non-LAF units that have openly expressed their interest in pursuing similar paths. A Capacity Partnership International assistance projects have traditionally adopted a donor/beneficiary dynamic. The Netherlands’ Project has decided to flip this state of affairs on its head by turning beneficiaries into fully-fledged partners, putting long-term sustainability at the heart of its efforts.
The CTS is a perfect example of how capacity partnerships are the future of capacity development. By trusting the Netherlands’ Project and religiously following its guidance, the School was capable of achieving what others deemed ‘impossible’ in an impressively short time span. On the other hand, by partnering up with the School, the Netherlands’ Project demonstrated that the most important ‘investment’ a Project can choose to make is in proper education. To sum up, the Land Border Regiments’ Training School has achieved impressive results through hard work, professionalism and a suitably-tailored support system. Global certification, innovative solutions and continuous institutional developments are proof thereof and pave the way for future success.
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Written by Sarah Saleh, ICMPD Project Officer, Netherlands' Assistance to Lebanese Border Agencies (IBM), Mediterranean