• Ensuring coordination between the central administration, provinces, districts, and other regional units.
• Monitoring the implementation of laws and regulations related to local affairs, municipalities, unions of municipalities, Mukhtars, elective councils, and other local councils. It also proposes plans, conducts studies aimed at local development, enhances citizen participation, and submitting them sequentially to the minister.
• Assisting governorates and district units in supervising the control activities over municipalities, unions of municipalities, and local councils.

The Department of Governorates and Local Affairs is accompanied by several general inspectors who are responsible for supervising the activities of municipalities, and unions of municipalities, and auditing them to ensure their compliance with laws and regulations. They specifically oversee financial transactions and the expenditure of municipal funds. These inspectors are distributed by a decision from the Minister of Interior and Municipalities. The head of the department ensures their supervision and coordination, aided by the monitoring body specifically assigned for this purpose. In case there is a shortage of the required number of qualified general inspectors as stipulated in Article 96 of the Municipal Law, it is permissible to contract individuals from outside the existing staff who hold a bachelor's degree in law, political science, business administration, or their equivalent.

Department of Governorates, Districts, and Local Councils comprises the following units:

• Unit of Regional Units Affairs.
• Unit of Municipalities and Unions of Municipalities.
• Unit of Mukhtars and Committees.
• Unit of Guidance and Investigation.

The Unit of Regional Units Affairs is responsible for the following:

• Monitoring the activities of all administrative and technical units associated with the governorates and districts, under the supervision and control of the head of the department, and submitting monthly reports on their progress to the minister in a sequential manner.
• Receiving copies of regular reports exchanged directly between the governorate departments, analyzing and commenting on their content, and in case of any violations, the head of the department sequentially informs the relevant authorities to take appropriate action.

The Unit of Municipalities and Unions of Municipalities is responsible for the following:

• Monitoring the implementation of the Municipalities Law and other legal and regulatory texts related to local municipal affairs, under the supervision of the head of the department, studying and commenting on municipal decisions that require the minister's approval, and subsequently submitting them sequentially to the minister for final approval.
• Studying reports referred to it by the director-general as a result of coordination between the department, governors, and district commissioners regarding the administrative oversight of municipalities and unions of municipalities without interfering in their affairs.

The Unit of Mukhtars (Village Heads) and Committees is responsible for the following:

• Monitoring the implementation of the Mukhtars and Elective Councils Law.
• Studying reports referred to it by the Director General as a result of coordination between the department, governors, and district commissioners regarding their oversight of the activities of Mukhtars and elective councils.
• Studying reports submitted by governors or district commissioners to the minister by Article 21 of the Mukhtars’ Law, proposing appropriate actions, and submitting them sequentially to the minister for further decision-making.
• Proposing the necessary provisions and measures to enhance local community development and revive villages with no municipalities, under the supervision of the head of the unit.
• Collaborating with relevant departments/units to revive and improve village life.
• Supervising the activities of local committees, regardless of their nature.

The Unit of Guidance and Investigation is responsible for the following:

• Supervising the work of municipal guides as stipulated in the Municipal Law, ensuring coordination and cooperation among them, and providing guidance on how to carry out their duties by the relevant provisions specified in the aforementioned law.
• Conducting investigations into any complaints or violations related to municipalities or Mukhtars and submitting investigation findings and appropriate recommendations to the competent authority for resolution.
• Municipal guides, who belong to the third category with the rank of department head, are affiliated with this department.
• The unit also includes several investigators from the third category with the rank of department head, who are responsible for investigating complaints and violations related to municipalities and unions of municipalities, and they submit their reports sequentially to the minister. The assignment, distribution, tasks, and authorities of municipal guides and investigators are determined by a decision from the Minister of Interior and Municipalities based on the proposal of the Director General.

The Department of Technical Affairs consists of the following units:

• The Unit of Research and Studies
• The Unit of Execution
• The Unit of Explosives and Ammunition
• The Unit of Quarries and Crushers

The Unit of Research and Studies is responsible for the following:

• Assisting technical bodies in local councils (municipalities, unions of municipalities, and others) upon request, by providing the necessary studies for exercising their specified powers in the Municipal Law. This includes giving opinions and maintaining links with relevant public administrations and institutions in the following matters:
• Developing the standard tender documents for supplies, works, and services.
• Developing the standard tender documents for the sale of municipal properties.
• Converting public municipal property into private municipal property.
• Approving the classification of roads resulting from partition projects that benefit more than six different owners, such as municipal public properties, on which the municipality has the right to carry out works.
• Studying plans, guiding designs, and establishing industrial institutions to complete the necessary procedures for their approval.
• Conducting all studies assigned by the minister.
• Studying sewerage networks and wastewater treatment plants.

The Execution Unit is responsible for the following:

• Assisting municipalities, upon request, in monitoring the implementation of municipal projects.
• Assisting official local councils and bodies in implementing, monitoring, and maintaining constructions funded or invested by these councils or bodies.
• Monitoring the execution of works assigned by the minister.

The Gunpowder and Explosives Unit is responsible for the following:

Ensuring the implementation of the provisions of the Arms and Ammunition Law within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities and proposing licenses for the use of explosives.

The Quarries and Crushers Unit is responsible for the following:

Monitoring the application of regulations related to granting licenses and administrative periods for their establishment and investment and submitting periodic reports on this matter to the minister in an administrative sequence.

The Independent Municipal Fund Department is responsible for supervising the implementation of the provisions of the Municipalities Law and the regulatory decrees related to defining the principles and rules for distributing funds from the Independent Municipal Fund.

The Independent Municipal Fund Department consists of:

• The Unit of Accounts and Distribution
• The Unit of Joint Projects

The Unit of Accounts and Distribution is responsible for:

• Managing the accounts of the funds specified in Articles 2 and 3 of Decree No. 1917 dated April 6, 1979, and coordinating with the Central Treasury Accountant at the Ministry of Finance, the Central Customs Accountant, the Central Accountant at the Bank of Lebanon, and others.
• Drafting decrees and monitoring the distribution of shares to municipal unions and municipalities, as well as monitoring their expenditure by the provisions of the first and second chapters of Decree No. 1917 dated April 6, 1979.

The Unit of Joint Projects is responsible for:

Supervising the implementation and monitoring of joint projects funded by the Independent Municipal Fund.

The Directorate General of Local Administrations and Councils at the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities established a department called the "Municipal Observatory Department." This department is directly linked to the Director-General.

The Municipal Observatory Department determines its staff, job titles, positions, and ranks according to the table attached to this decree. It also specifies the conditions for appointment to these positions according to the table also attached to this decree; they are an integral part of the staff of the Directorate General of Local Administrations and Councils at the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities.

Municipalities and unions of municipalities are required to send documents requested by the Municipal Observatory Department. These documents include, but are not limited to:

• Forms designed by the Municipal Observatory Department after being filled out with the required information by the municipalities. The mayors of each municipality should send the forms to the Coordination Department of the Municipal Observatory via the Internet within the specified period mentioned in the form.
• Copies of the municipality's budget and financial statements, acceptance decisions for aid, grants, and recommended funds, whether related or unrelated to burdens, and loan applications in various forms for specific projects whose studies have been completed. The mayor should send the documents and records through the Internet or any other means within eight days from the date of approval by the competent authority.
• Copies of the union's budget and financial statements, projects carried out by the union, development plans within the union's scope and authority, loan requests in all forms for specific projects whose studies have been completed, acceptance decisions for aid, grants, and recommendations. The president of the union council should send the documents and records through the Internet or any other means within eight days from the date of approval by the valid reference.
• Copies of the personnel and staffing systems of municipalities and municipal unions.
• Copies of decisions regarding the establishment of municipalities or municipal unions.

With the approval of the Director-General, the Municipal Observatory Department can specify the required data to be sent or modify the content, whether partially or completely, and change the means of exchanging this data.

The relevant parties should be notified of any modifications through the forms and assistance regulations that must be followed.

The Municipal Observatory Department exchanges correspondence and information with all other departments of the Directorate related to the performance of its duties. It is responsible for reviewing the administrative work and documents within its jurisdiction that it receives from the mentioned departments and entities in this decree.

The Municipal Observatory Department consists of:

• Coordination Department
• Scientific Research and Development Department
• Technical support department

Coordination Department:

• Responding to inquiries from municipalities and relevant parties within the ministry.
• Communicating, coordinating, and following up with media outlets through the observatory's head to raise awareness among citizens and keep them informed about municipalities' performance results and plans for their development.
• Publishing performance evaluation results, reports, and other information through periodic newsletters upon request from the ministry or the Directorate, within the limits of its legal jurisdiction.
• Sending forms, CDs, and other materials to municipalities.
• Receiving completed forms, attachments, and other materials from municipalities, either online or through other means.
• Issuing receipts for each municipality (either electronic receipts or email receipts) after ensuring that all required information has been received.
• Receiving incoming mail at the observatory, registering it, and ensuring its timely distribution within the observatory's departments.
• Recording outgoing mail from the observatory.
• Performing administrative editing and other clerical tasks.
• Handling subscription and reproduction tasks related to the observatory.
• Receiving feedback and comments from municipalities, recording them, and forwarding them to the relevant department.
• Verifying the accuracy and validity of information by checking its compliance with the required format, the specified period, and the absence of contradictions or similar issues.
• Contacting the relevant municipality in case of errors or deficiencies in the information sent to the observatory.
• Entering, processing, and storing data using performance indicators management software.
• Safeguarding documents, files, forms, CDs, and other materials received from municipalities or relevant parties in the ministry in a way that facilitates easy access to them, while adhering to the established principles and regulations.
• Coordinating with other departments and units within the ministry and the observatory, particularly regarding the awareness of municipalities and citizens about the importance of cooperation with the observatory and the significance of training employees working in municipalities.

Scientific Research and Development Department:

• Managing (identifying, implementing, reviewing, and updating) municipalities' performance indicators in coordination with the relevant parties in the Directorate or the ministry to measure them periodically (weekly, monthly, yearly, etc.).
• Planning the necessary data collection from municipalities and designing forms and templates (via forms, web pages, CDs, etc.).
• Implementing proper methodologies and approaches to measure the indicators.
• Surveying the database and analyzing data to evaluate municipalities' performance.
• Issuing reports on municipalities' performance.
• Proposing ideas, plans, and projects to improve municipalities' performance.

Technical Support Department:

• Proposing the necessary programs and applications for all observatory operations.
• Implementing the required programs to retrieve data, such as CD programs or internet-based programs, after being prepared by the Scientific Research and Development Department.
• Maintaining the observatory's information systems and software.
• Maintaining the network in the observatory.
• Training and providing technical support to observatory staff on using information systems and computer programs.
• Providing technical support to municipalities regarding observatory-related equipment and using relevant observatory programs.
• Training relevant employees in municipalities on how to provide the observatory with the requested information and documents.
• Managing the website (collecting, editing, updating, and publishing evaluation results, reports, and other information) in Arabic and other languages specified by the concerned parties in the ministry.
• Communicating with service providers, suppliers of information technology and internet technologies, and companies providing systems and software used by the observatory, and monitoring maintenance issues and problems related to equipment and services with them.
• Keeping up with new technologies, standards, and procedures related to information system security by disseminating and updating information.
• Maintaining and managing databases, especially information security, and integrity.