The New Arab Woman Forum organized last week a press conference under the auspices of the honorary NAWF president, the head of the Parliamentary commission for education, Prime Minister Bahya al Hariri.  The founder and executive president of NAWF, Nadine Abou Zeki, also took part in this Conference together with the Director of the French Institute Orlien Le Chevalier.  The Press Conference was convened to launch the 6th session of NAWF which is planned to take place on 1st and 2nd of March 2013 and will be entitled “Unlocking the Potential of Women Entrepreneurs”.  Bahya al Hariri emphasized the importance of the key topics which will be tackled during this sessions as well as the quality of the main speakers hoping that this event will constitute a new starting point for Arab women and for building trust and bridges within the Arab region and between the Arab region and the international community.

Le Chevalier noted for his part the importance of strengthening women’s entrepreneurship and the important role that pioneer business women can play as the dynamo for women’s liberation and as a key element for realizing equality between women and men.  Finally, Abou Zaki indicated that this 6th session of NAWF responds to the increasing regional and international interest in small and medium enterprises as a mean to realizing sustainable and balanced development and to creating job opportunities for young women and men.

Source: Al-Nahar 16 February 2013

The President of the Business Women Association in Lebanon and of the Tripoli Business Women, Leila Karameh Salhab, called for a meeting in Tripoli to discuss collaboration around environmental issues.  The meeting was held under the auspices of the Minister of the Environment Nazem el Khoury who was represented by Mr. Ghassan Sayyah and in collaboration with the Association of Green Lebanon. During the meeting, which was hosted at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Agriculture in the North, the head of the Green party in Lebanon, Nada Zaarour, shared the objectives of her party. Karameh for her part noted the importance of building a just state especially given the current challenges and damages faced at the political, economic, and environmental levels.  She also emphasized that Lebanon is ruled by a patriarchal mindset which excludes women noting the need to change towards a modern state.  At the end of the event, Sayyah shared the achievements of his ministry, especially in challenging environmental abuses in Lebanon namely the nomination of heads of departments in the Ministry for the first time in fifteen years, the approval of a law proposal to set up a district attorney for the environment as well as the decree for setting up the higher environmental councils. Other achievements noted include the ratification of the by laws for the Arab Environmental status.

Source: Al-Diyar 14 February 2013

The Coordination Committee of the Citizenship Campaign for a Lebanese Personal Status Law convened a meeting today in UNESCO palace to discuss possible actions in support of civil marriage and a civil family code.  Meanwhile, several activists who called themselves “lovers” and gathered yesterday in front of the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities to celebrate the civil marriage of Khouloud Sukaryeh and Nidal Darwish on Valentine.  The participants also thanked the Higher Constitutional Council for its decision to support the registration of the marriage at the Ministry of Interior.  For his part, the Minister of Interior Marwan Charbel told al Akhbar newspaper that he is still reviewing the file and will make a decision within the coming two days.
On a similar vein, the students club of the Syrian National Social Party at the American University of Beirut organised a symbolic wedding celebration in support of civil marriage during which students carried slogans such as “civil marriage not civil war” and “civil marriage is a civil right”.
Furthermore, the Lebanese Union for Democratic Youth for its part noted that the decision of the Higher Constitutional Council consecrated several important achievements among which: the rights of citizens who do not want to belong to a confession to contract a civil marriage in Lebanon and the fact that the public notary is the official reference entitled to contract and record a civil marriage.  The Union also added that with this resolution, married couple are the sole decision makers with regards to the law they want to marry under and which will legislate their family life and, finally, that there can be no longer an obstacle towards registering this marriage in the civil registry.

Source: Al-Safir, Al-Akhbar, Al-Nahar 15 February 2013