Frank Waeltring of Mesopartner co-organised and facilitated a Local Economic Development (LED) Workshop with LED practitioners from German and Lebanese cities and districts. The workshop is only one among many other events in the Connective Cities-Initiative organised by the GIZ, the German Association of Cities (DST) and Engagement Global, on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Connective Cities promotes municipal know-how exchange with countries like Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and other highly refugee-affected Middle-Eastern countries. The approach of the workshop was to promote a deeper understanding of LED based on Mesopartner methodologies as well as for the respective experts themselves to present LED project ideas and experiences from Germany and Lebanon. In Peer-to peer groups the experts shared ideas to develop their project approaches further and to initiate LED cooperation projects. BMZ flexible funding schemes promote LED projects in Middle Eastern countries as long as a German city administration or local economic development agency gets involved and promotes knowledge exchange. The overall objective is to increase knowledge and experience transfer from Germany to e.g. Lebanon by carrying out concrete LED projects in the respective Middle east city location.