The Administration and Justice Parliamentary Commission approved during its meeting of yesterday a law petition for the setting up of a syndicate for midwives.  The meeting was headed by the Commission’s president MP Robert Ghanem with the presence of Dr. Naji Gharious representing the parliamentary Health Commission as well as Antoine Romanos representing the Ministry of Public Health.  The meeting was also attended by the president of the association of midwives Yolla Al-khoury Atallah, the treasurer of the association of midwives, Hanaa Khaled in addition to representatives of the midwifery school at the Lebanese University Randa Boustany and Daad Akoum, and the representative of the midwifery school at Saint Josef University.

Ghanem noted that his Commission approved the law petition in keeping with the interests of the said Syndicate which mandate will be in regulating the profession especially since the number of midwives in Lebanon is now nearly 1400 women.  The Syndicate will also ensure that the rules of public health are kept as well as make sure that practitioners enjoy a pro[per certification.  To be noted that the midwifery certificate is obtained after two years of university studies after completing the Baccalaureate Part II.  95% of all the practicing midwives have the proper university degree whereas those who do not are mostly very old midwives who do not practice anymore.

Source: Al-Mustaqbal 9 April 2013

The Lebanese Observatory for the Rights of Workers released during a press conference organised last Friday the 5th of April 2013, its first annual report for 2012 entitled “protests and workers’ issues in Lebanon in 2012: the year of strengthening the public sector and shaming the general workers’ union”.
The report was produced with the financial support of Diakonia and included a detailed monitoring of key issues that were addressed by the workers’ struggles including the different forms of protests that took place in 2012, their timeframe, sectors and demands raised by workers and employees.
The report allocates a significant space to two key actions that overwhelmed the workers’ and trade unions scene in 2012 namely the 94 days strikes of the daily contractual workers in the Electricity Board and the protests of the workers in Spinneys supermarket chain who demanded the application of the governmental salaries raise.  The report considers that the General Workers’ Union has by and large colluded with the employers so as to grant workers a minimal raise on salaries.  The report further describes the general union of trade unions as a confederation of confessions and sects.
The report is laudable in its description of the Workers Coordination Committee and applauds its role in forming a distinctive national trade union leadership.  Finally, the report also applauds the National Labour Trade Union League for deciding to withdraw from the General Workers’ Union.
For a full copy of the report, contact The Lebanese Observatory for the Rights of Workers on 01-425783
Source: Al-Safir, al-Nahar, Al-Diyar, Al-Akhbar, Al-Mustaqbal 6 April 2013

Selim Sfeir, CEO of Bank of Beirut, signed last week with the President of Caritas Lebanon Father Simon Faddoul two memoranda of understanding within the framework of the on-going collaboration between the two institutions.  The 2 MoUs were signed at the headquarters of Caritas’ central administration in Sin el Fil and seek to support the work of Caritas Lebanon.  The MoUs will make available a battery of banking products including the launching of the Caritas Affinity Card, part of the profits of which will serve to support Caritas’ humanitarian work, educational loans for vocational training students and loans for small business.  
Source: Al-Mustaqbal 8 April 2013

Gender inequality remains a main feature in Lebanon who is only 1001 day away from the date set for realizing the MDGs.  The United Nations resident coordinator Robert Watkins noted in an interview with the Daily Star that Lebanon faces serious obstacles in achieving the millennium development goals pointing out to the need for consistent efforts to be put in place before 2015 namely in realizing gender quality as well as creating employment opportunities for young women and men graduates.  Watkins also pointed out to women’s poor participation in politics as women’s representation in parliament does not exceed 3.1% and the fact that 53% women reach secondary education compared to 55.4% for men while only 22% of women are in the job market compounded by the limited presence of women in the higher echelons of the private and the public sector.
Watkins also shared his concern with the poor employment opportunities available to young graduates which pushes them to emigrate thus negatively impacting Lebanon at both the social and economic levels.
Watkins concluded by noting that much work is still needed in Lebanon quoting the latest statistics of the 2013 which indicate an increase of a 6.2% of the age expectancy at birth as well as an increase of the average number of years of schooling by 2.9 percent. The main positive changes noted appear to be in the increased awareness amongst the Lebanese of the need for change and for finding practical solutions to endemic problems.
Source: The Daily Star, L’Orient Le Jour 4 April 2013