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Conferences boost hotel industry and exhibitions stimulate domestic trade

23-1-2018

An Nahar newspaper revealed that the ministry of tourism plans to make a shift to a new dimension, targeting and strengthening the business tourism sector, represented in exhibitions and conferences. This step is expected to give a direct boost to the hotels industry, through the booking of international companies partaking in exhibitions in the host country, and leading to an expansion in the size of national economy on the long term. On the subject, the president of the Lebanese Exhibitions & Conferences Association, Elie Rizk, noted the impression of the Lebanese companies in the Arab Gulf states, and commending the administrative procedures by Gulf authorities to facilitate participation in expos and conferences. Rizk made clear that Lebanon’s hotel infrastructure is adequate to host events of the kind and accommodate between 1000 to 1500 guests, noting that the political and security instability in the past couple of years has hindered progress in this sector. On the exhibitions front, Horeca Hospitality Services Lebanon, is returning to Beirut Waterfront from March 20-25, 2018. Over 350 local and international exhibitors from the UAE, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Italy, France, Belgium, Netherlands and Korea will showcase more than 2,500 renowned food, packaging and kitchen appliances brands. Also, the minister of telecommunications, Jamal Jarrah, launched the second edition of Smartex expected to take place from April 25-28 at Forum de Beirut. The event is dubbed a platform for the latest innovations in the world of communications and IT. (An Nahar, Al Diyar, January 18, 19, 2018)

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Future may nominate one woman from Beirut for May parliamentary elections

23-1-2018

Seemingly as a gesture in reply to demands by women organizations to nominate female candidates for the forthcoming elections, Prime Minister Saad Hariri is considering, according to Al Diyar, the nomination of a woman candidate (one only!) for a parliamentary seat in Beirut. The newspaper added that Hariri is working on selecting a woman candidate with a strong social and humanitarian background and good network within Beiruti families, so as to run on the electoral list of Beirut 2nd Constituency. In the same vein, President Michel Aoun signed yesterday (January 22, 2018) a decree calling on the electorate (Decree No. 2219) to elect members of Parliament, noting that it becomes effective as soon as it is published in the Official Gazette. The text of the decree read: the Lebanese voters on all Lebanese territory will cast their ballot on Sunday, May 6, 2018, employees participating in the electoral process on May 3, Lebanese expats in Arab countries on April 27 and expats in the Americas, Europe and Africa on April 29. (Al Diyar, An Nahar, January 23, 2018)

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American women against Trump: “Elect a clown, expect a circus”

23-1-2018

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets of cities across the US last Saturday, namely Los Angeles, New York City, Washington DC, Chicago and Boston, to protest President Donald Trump, his agenda and Administration’s policies. This is the second anti-Trump march of women on the one-anniversary of Trump’s inauguration. The mass demonstrations over the weekend mark a year since the historic Women’s March in January 2017 where over 3 million people took to the streets nationwide to voice their opposition to Trump’s election. This year’s women march also aims to motivate Americans to register their names in the electoral lists and encourage women participation in the US midterm elections 2018. During the rally, protestors hoisted signs which read, ‘A woman’s place is in the White House’, and ‘elect a clown, expect a circus’. Among the speakers in NYC’s rally were activist and actress Rosie Perez and actress Whoopi Goldberg who said, “we are here to say- as women- we are not taking it anymore.” For her part, 44-year old artist Heather Arndt stated: “Trump should be aware that we are coming together as a powerful force and we are going to change this after he has been elected despite the way he has treated women.” In response, Trump tweeted calling on the people to march and celebrate historic achievements and unprecedented economic success recorded in the past 12 months, as he put it. (An Nahar, January 22, 2018)

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Frantic civil efforts to boost women’s parliamentary representation

22-1-2018

With the approach of parliamentary elections, several civil initiatives are taking place in order to promote women’s representation. After the conference on ‘fostering the role of political parties in promoting women’s representation in 2018 elections’ c.f: http://bit.ly/2F2l6qw, the Lebanese Council of Women (LCW), in partnership with UN Women- Gender Equality and Women Empowerment, organized a conference on the ‘impact of political, economic and social changes on the reality of women in Lebanon’. During the event, LCW president, Iqbal Dughan, revealed that despite that the new elections law overlooked the women’s representation quota, the Council is trying to persuade various political parties to nominate women candidates, and is calling for boycotting the electoral lists that do not include women as top three nominees. Recommendations issued at the end of the conference included: Demanding a unified civil society stance in support of the rights of women to political participation and to run for elections; encouraging women to nominate themselves; supporting women’s electoral and media campaigns. Furthermore, the Committee for Boosting the Role of Women in Decision-Making held a gathering on Sunday in Aley for women candidates, in which took part 52 women nominees from the different Lebanese regions and electoral constituencies. During the event, civil activist Hayat Arslan expressed the readiness of Lebanese women running for the 2018 elections to boldly rise to the challenge. “We consider gender discrimination as one key mechanism for marginalization, and we believe that the potentials of Lebanese men and women complement each other in order to rebuild the nation on a more balanced foundation,” Arslan maintained. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, January 20, 22, 2018)

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Women of Beqaa: Training in Entrepreneurship, and political empowerment project

22-1-2018

The Future Movement Women’s Sector in Central Beqaa concluded on Saturday an entrepreneurship training workshop in partnership with Sawa Association for Development and In Place of War (IPOW) organization affiliated with the University of Manchester. The one-month course aims at empowering women socially and economically, as well as, build their capacities to enter the labor market and promote their undertakings, according to Sector’s coordinator Nahed Madi. Participants submitted their projects to be shortlisted by the University of Manchester, while certificates will be distributed at a later stage. Concurrently, the Lebanese Association for Studies and Training (LOST) also ended the second stage of the ‘Empowering Women to Lead 2’ project in Baalbaq. On the occasion, LOST founder Rami Lakkis, drew attention to the poor participation of women in public affairs, stressing the importance of programs targeting this marginalized segment of society. He considered that women’s involvement in development activities contributes to the enhancement of public life and the building of a better future for children and the community as a whole. Similarly, the beneficiaries presented their experiences, challenges and achievements, expounding the impact of the project and trainings in shaping their personalities and boosting their self-confidence, expanding their knowledge in public affairs and strengthening their social contribution where they can have a greater role in the accountability of municipalities and the implementation of community undertakings. The above initiative included the execution of 8 developmental and community services in 8 villages in Baalbaq-Hermel region, namely, Baalbaq, Yunin, Shlifa, Bednayel, Taraya, Hermel, Al Ain and Arsal. (AL Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, January 21, 2018)

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Modest official measures to protect children in Lebanon

22-1-2018

In its efforts to end discriminatory practices against children, the director general of Personal Status, Brigadier Elias Khoury, distributed a circular on January 19 to all registrars asking them not to include the term ‘illegitimate newborn’ in all personal status registers, like the identity card and personal and family birth records, and to replace them with the term ‘invalid legal standing’. Al Mustaqbal newspaper wrote that, while the new directive alleviates the ‘moral’ side effect of the phrase, the illegitimate newborn infant remains deprived of his personal rights, namely inheritance and related matters. In this respect, parliamentary committees are still studying the marriage of children as well as the child protection draft bills. According to L’Orient Le Jour, the said committee discussed during a session on January 17 the draft laws related to child marriage and the exceptions the confessional institutions fight to keep concerning the age of marriage. Concerning cyber-crimes, the officer at the Cybercrime Office of the Internal Security Force, Lieutenant Elias Dagher, revealed the recoding of some 3,200 cases in the past year. Such crimes, Dagher clarified, involved murder and rape cases, in addition to crimes of sextortion, fraud and theft. Dagher who was speaking during a lecture on ‘social media crimes’ said that in 2014 alone more than 100 underage girls (the oldest being 13 years) were victims of online predators, sustaining that they have been groomed and blackmailed on Facebook before being raped. (L’Oient Le Jour, Al Mustaqbal, January 17, 20, 2018)

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Initiatives to promote digital entrepreneurship, create jobs

19-1-2018

Within the framework of promoting digital initiatives, 10 investment funds, currently running USD 360 million, officially launched the Lebanese Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (LVCPEA) yesterday. The association which includes a number of active players in fund management in the country aims at exchanging ideas, developing administrative policies and creating a structure representative of the sector. On the occasion, LVCPEA president Maroon Chammas, said the goal of the association is to expand the knowledge-based economy, as well as, promote digital initiative to develop the national economic and increase employment prospects, anticipating the creation of close to 5 thousand jobs directly and another 25,000 jobs indirectly. Meanwhile, Touch, the leading mobile telecommunications and data operator in Lebanon, in partnership with ‘Teach for Lebanon’ (TFL) kicked off the e-touch educational program aimed at supporting underprivileged children in rural and remote areas. To recall, e-touch centers are already available at the Nader Association for Child offenders Rehabilitation in Deddeh, Kura and at Afaf el Tofl School in Marj, Beqaa. In a related vein, a number of ambitious young entrepreneurs from Lebanon concluded their participation in the 10-day intensive entrepreneurship training workshop at the Arab Innovation Academy (AIA) in Doha, Qatar. The course was organized by Qatar Science & Technology Park (QTSP), a member of the Qatar foundation Research and Development (QF R&D), in partnership with the European Innovation Academy. The first edition of this pioneering Pan-Arab entrepreneurship program provides an opportunity for more than 100 aspiring young college students and entrepreneurs from all parts of the Arab world, including 13 Lebanese students, to develop and live their technological startup experience. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, January 18 and 19, 2018)

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Arab & Lebanese women’s cooperation

19-1-2018

A delegation from the Arab Women’s Council stressed yesterday during a visit to the (NCLW) the importance of mutual cooperation for the advancement of women in the Lebanese society. On the occasion, the Arab Council’s chairperson, Lina Deghlawi Mkarzel, disclosed that the Council is currently preparing for next March’s celebrations to mark International Women’s Day, and renewed the Council’s keenness in collaborating with all parties advocating and supporting women at all levels. For her part, NCLW president, Claudine Aoun Rukuz, reiterated the Commission’s cooperation with involved community organizations and its interest in Lebanese laws on women and other lines of activities. Rukuz also commended actions and efforts of the Arab Women’s Council in Lebanon and the Arab world. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, January 19, 2018)

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Two ministerial circulars to stress Lebanese women’s equity

19-1-2018

Prime minister Saad Hariri issued a circular yesterday restraining discrimination against muhajabat (veiled women) which prevents their access to state jobs. The directive comes after the minister of state for administrative development affairs, Inaya Ezzedine, raised the subject during a Cabinet session about ‘the muhajabat who applied for jobs in the public sector but were asked to take off the hijab’. Ezzedine stressed this contradicts with personal freedoms sanctioned by the Lebanese Constitution. On the other hand, the minister of education, Marwan Hamadeh, said he will issue a circular to all schools advising that children of Lebanese mothers married to non-Lebanese be treated on par with Lebanese nationals and not to be confused with foreigners or refugees. Hamadeh was speaking during his meeting with a delegation from ‘My Nationality is My Dignity’ campaign who revealed to the minister the many violations by schools and universities to this effect. The Campaign noted a wave of complaints at the start of the academic year from grieving Lebanese mothers married to non-Lebanese lamenting their children are being profiled as foreigners. Besides, Campaign activists maintained that Lebanese University (LU) students from Lebanese mothers married to non-Lebanese are being denied their health insurance as the LU Administration regards them as foreigners. (Al Diyar, An Nahar, Al Mustaqbal, January 19. 2018)

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Role of political parties in promoting women’s electoral participation

18-1-2018

The office of the minister of state for women’s affairs and the United Nations in Lebanon jointly organized yesterday a conference on ‘Fostering the role of political parties in promoting women’s representation in 2018 elections’. The conference stresses the inclusion of women nominees on parties’ electoral lists to ensure an effective and comprehensive participation in the upcoming elections. Minister Jean Ogassapian said on the occasion that in the absence of a quota for women in the new electoral law, his ministry has developed a national work plan aimed at strengthening women’s involvement in the political life and upping her leadership role, as well as, backing her to reach decision-making positions. For her part, the Acting UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Pernille Kardel, called on the Lebanese political parties to work harder to realize the right of women’s political engagement in the elections. Similarly, EU Ambassador Christina Lassen said, “political representation means representation of women, hence, it is both necessary and fair to engage women in these elections.” The event also included a roundtable discussion with representatives from seven political parties represented in the Parliament. Viewpoints of respective parties on the issue varied. While Rima Fakhri, representing Hizbullah, expressed reservations on nominating women, Manal Saeed, for the Progressive Socialist Party, argued that the male chauvinistic view still reigns in rural areas, and therefore political parties need to take this view into consideration when recruiting a candidate. Amal Movement representative. Ali Rahhal, on the other hand, empathized the importance of inclusion of women, but said the current mentality toward women should change first. The Free Patriotic Movement MP, Simon Abi Ramia, said women should force themselves into politics within a patriarchal society, as male candidates have better chances to win. (Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, Al Hayat, January 18, 2018)

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