The May Chidiac Foundation – Media Institute (MCF-MI) organized yesterday a conference entitled "Women on the front lines", under the auspices of the first lady Wafa Suleyman who pointed out in her keynote speech to the important role played by the National Commission for Lebanese Women in launching several initiatives, mainly: amending five discriminatory laws, preparing the national strategy 2011-2021 and national action plan. Suleyman also reiterated her full support to women’s right in passing their nationality to their children, resisting domestic violence, endorsement of women quota in politics and finally the promulgation of a civil marriage law. In the same vein, Chidiac pointed out to the negative effects of patriarchal society that claims valuing women and yet rejects their advancement, emphasizing various political and sectarian factors while undermining women’s rights, justifying violence against them and leave women unprotected.

The sixth annual New Arab Women Forum opened last Friday, the 1st of March under the auspices of first lady Wafa Suleyman. The forum tackled on the first day various issues related to Arab women and their interests, starting from the role of women entrepreneur who need to be recognised as the new engine for economic growth in the Arab world, to defining the current environment for Arab business women entrepreneur. The discussions also included the currently available opportunities to motivating entrepreneurship spirit among women in addition to developing an enabling environment for creativity as well as discussing the role of different parties in stimulating the women’s initiatives.
The subsequent sessions focused on ways of creating women entrepreneurs and the needed personal characteristics, and the importance for the educational sector to supply society with university students with the needed skills, in addition to the role of trainings in capacity building. Discussion sessions also focused on the role of big enterprises in supporting women initiatives in projects that have social and development dimensions.

In a keynote address delivered by satellite during the first day, Carlos Ghoson, the president of Renault-Nissan Company, pointed out to the impressive gains women have made in higher education in the Arab countries indicating that in Lebanon, 54 percent of university students are women, however, they only account for 25% percent of the workforce, and only 8% of leadership positions

Further discussions pointed out to the fact that women’s opportunities to get a bank loan is much lower than those of men, since usually it is hard or even impossible for a woman to acquire a loan for starting  up her private enterprise since the bank wrongly evaluate her potentials and capabilities in running and managing a business.

Day two started with a session that focused on success stories of women entrepreneurs, moving later to discuss how best to learn from regional and international practices, policies and programs supporting business women. In the course of this discussion, participants reviewed the efficiency of business incubators and their role in launching new enterprises and how women can benefit from the creation of such incubators.
Day two also witnessed the announcement of winners of WOW prizes namely the following;

• Civil Service: Lina Jubran – Kun Hadi, Lebanon
• Scientific Research and Technology: Dr. Khawla Al-Krayyea’ –President of the research center at the King Fahed National Center for Children’s tumors, KSA
• Business Entrepreneurship: Engineer Sarah Akbar – Executive Director of Kuwait Energy, Kuwait
• Business: Randa Bdeir, president of e-banking and card services at Bank Audi, Lebanon
• Media: Nima Abou Wardeh, Founder of Cashy.me, Jordan
• Artistic Expression: Reine Abbas, Co-founder of Wixel Studios, Lebanon

Source: Al-Mustaqbal, Al-Akhbar, Al-Nahar, Al-Safir, Al-Diyar 4 March 2013

Justice without Borders organized the day before yesterday a preparatory workshop for the setting up of a men’s platform for supporting women’s access to justice.  The responsible of the project, Miriam Haddad, opened the event and highlighted the work of her association in spreading a culture of human rights and in providing legal support to women and children.  Haddad focused on the key objectives of the project namely supporting women’s access to justice noting that it seeks to provide legal assistance to women who are victims of exploitation and to empower them through awareness on their rights especially in terms of personal family code.

Riad Issa focused during the first day of the event on communication skills and the importance of accepting others paving the way to discussion ways of strengthening the concept of citizenship as including rights and responsibilities and the role of women in civil society.
Source: Al-Nahar, Al-Safir 28 February 2013

An-Nahar newspaper published a report on the disappearing craft of carpet weaving in the Beqaa locality of Fakheh.  Carpet weaving in that area was a craft mostly perfected by women for whom it constituted a source of income as well as a treasured heritage but which is now threatened by competition of cheaper products imported from China and Turkey.

The report notes that this skill dates back to some 300 years and was brought to the area by a young bride from Aidmoon village in Akkar who taught her peers in Fakheh the intricacies and complexities of this art.  Carpet weaving quickly spread amongst women of all ages but has now dwindled considerably as production has become economically non-viable and the craft has not been passed on, as a result, to the younger generation.  It is to be noted that a small hand-woven carpet of 4X3 m costs a prohibitive price of at least 2 thousand US Dollars.

The report also relays the stories of older women who mourn the loss of a skill that they have inherited from their mothers and the disappearance of a market that was well known beyond the region.  Hajja Tamador, who is 85 years old, testifies of an era when the craft that she had learned from her mother and grandmother, was prosperous and appreciated and her sorrow to see the market taken over by lower qualities goods from abroad.

An- Nahar concludes its report by relaying the wishes of the women in seeing the set up a carpet weaving training centre in their village to bring back this skills and encourage tourism to this area so as to ensure that this craft survives.

Source: Al-Nahar  27 February 2013