The joint FAO/WHO commission to coordinate the food security protocol in the Near East Region held its seventh meeting in Beirut.  The event was under the auspices of the Ministers of Public Health and Agriculture.  The event was also attended by the WHO EMRO regional director, Alaa Alouan, the FAO representative in Lebanon, Dr. Ali Moumen and representatives from 13 member countries in addition to representatives of NGOs and security forces.

The Minister of Agriculture said in his key note address that the role of this joint commission is to identify key regional issues and priorities in terms of food standards as well as coordinate regional food security protocols.  Minister Hajj Hassan further noted that developing research and ability to undertake risk assessments will require the coordination and pooling of efforts amongst governments as well as the private and NGOs sector.  Haj Hassan pointed out to the increasing risks in the region, notably poor investment and the impact of political insecurity, on regional food security.  According to the Minister, these factors have increased reliance on food imports which is growing and has reached 60% between 2011 and 2012.  This in itself is a worrying indicator.

Al Khalil noted the need for food security protocols which will include all food needs and its linkage to public health.  He pointed out to the status of global chaos at the level of dietary supplements and the need for setting up standards and restrictions at the national level.  This, he said, has now been addressed through the enactment of laws which monitor and record the imports and advertisement of dietary supplements.

Source: Al-Nahar, Al-Safir 22 January 2013

The talk of the town these days is certainly the civil marriage contracted in Lebanon between Nidal Darwich and Khouloud Sukkaryeh which has attracted the attention of many a politician including President Michel Suleiman who has tweeted about this calling for the codification of civil marriage in Lebanon.
Bride and groom resorted to law 60 l.r. of 1936 (according to the numbering used by the French colonial powers back then) and which allows for individuals not following any confession to marry whilst following a procedure entailing a public declaration of their marriage 145 days before the event and ensuring that there are no objection to their union.  Following this step, bride and groom exchanged a civil  marriage contract at the private notary.
The director of the Civil National Initiative, Talal el Husseini, declared in a seminar organized yesterday on the right to contract civil marriage in Lebanon that with the completion of the procedure, the couple is now officially married and bound in a contract that is duly recognized by the law.  Husseini reiterated that the marriage contract does not need the approval of the Ministry of Interior to become valid.  It has already been entered in the civil register and a copy was sent to the legislative council since it is an unprecedented document.  The council’s opinion is only of a advisory nature and is not binding.
For his part, the Minister of Interior indicated in an interview given to An Nahar newspaper that his Ministry had already referred this request for civil marriage upon receiving it to the Ministry of Justice who has turned it down given the absence of a legal code to legislate it.  The Minister added that such request will never be approved.

Source: Al-Safir, Al-Akhbar, Al-Nahar 21 January 2013

The president of the Green Party, Nada Zaarour, announced her candidacy for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Northern Metn.  Her candidacy was made public during an event which was organized yesterday to celebrate nine media people and celebrities which have contributed to supporting environmental issues as well as to unveiling cases of corruption and abuse of natural resources.  The event was attended by political, diplomatic and civil society figures and included a key note address by the general secretary of the party, Samir Skaff, who shared the party’s electoral agenda for 2013 namely: guaranteeing continued supply of electricity and water, the introduction of the health/medical card, confirming public employees in their posts and abolishing confessionalism.  The party will also aim at launching the “Green Taef”, adopting a decentralization system and supporting human rights.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal 17 January 2013