News

The Palestinian Democratic Women’s Organization (Nada) held yesterday an artisan heritage fair for women at the Cultural Center in Saadnayel, the Beqaa. The event was opened under the patronage of dignitary Myriam Skaf in the presence of concerned figures. It embraced works of art and handicrafts by the Palestinian Diaspora in the Beqaa and in camps across Lebanon. On the occasion, Nada’s representative, Rana Awwad, underlined the role of women in preserving the Palestinian identity and legacy. (Al Mustaqbal, February 28, 2017)

The secretary general of the Union of Arab Banks (UAB), Wissam Fatuh, disclosed in a statement last week that the UAB will hold a conference in Beirut next Friday focusing on the empowerment of women in the banking and financial sectors. The conference will be organized under the sponsorship of the minister for women’s affairs, Jean Ogassapian, in coordination with the World Union of Arab Bankers. Fatuh said that as the summit seeks to expand the role of women in the industry, invitations have been sent to various Arab civil society organizations involved with women’s rights and affairs, as well as to the secretary general of the Arab Women Organization affiliated with the Arab League. Fatuh mentioned that there are currently some 16 women general managers in Lebanon, pointing to a tendency by the government to step up the role of women in ministries, the Parliament and in the banking and finance industries. He concluded by stressing the important role women can play in raising awareness and the development of society, with special focus on rural women who boast potentials in running small and medium enterprises if provided with the proper funding. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, February 25, 2017)

 

Facebook launched a special program (#SheMeansBusiness) to train women entrepreneurs on how to use their presence in social media to promote their businesses. Facebook wants to publish its global program in the MENA region to stimulate women to use FB and Instagram as platforms for their commercial activities. The program also seeks to celebrate the successes and contributions of enterprises owned by women in MENA and highlight the significant role of both FB and Instagram in supporting and empowering women to better communicate, participate and grow. #SheMeansBusiness- MENA is expected to conclude partnerships with a number of institutions in the UAE and Egypt for the training of some 10 thousand beneficiaries over the course of a year. Through a network of partners, the program will organize a series of workshops and training courses, as well as provide electronic resources to equip women entrepreneurs with the knowledge, skills, connections and technology needed to build their companies via the internet. (Al Mustaqbal, February 26, 2017)

 

The American University of Beirut (AUB) and the Beirut Digital District (BDD) launched last Wednesday a new partnership aimed at fostering young men and women entrepreneurs to help bridge gaps between academia and the entrepreneurial world. The announcement was made following a panel discussion within ArabNet 2017 forum on the role of universities in stimulating entrepreneurship among students. In this respect, Ayman Kaissi, associate professor at AUB school engineering and architecture, and Mohammad Rabab, general manager of ZRE, the developer of BDD, presented the new initiative under the title ‘be innovative at the school of engineering’. The project is educational in nature and targets third year engineering students with the aim to provide them with proper skills needed to start up and develop businesses. Rami Abu Jawdeh, deputy general manager at Berytech, pointed out that as owners of establishments often complain from shortage of graduates with the required skills, the BDD decided to select 30 to 40 student interns from AUB to train them at its premises. (The Daily Star, February 23, 2017 )

 

In an unprecedented move in recognition of women’s rights, the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon officially appointed Rula Adel Suleiman as the first woman pastor thus breaking with the traditional preference for men in consecration for priesthood. Earlier in July, a decree of ordination of 42-year old Suleiman, who holds a degree in theology, was issued in response to a request she submitted to the Synod, to be put into effect on February 26. On the subject, Suleiman told An Nahar that she has a task to serve women, describing the decision by the Synod as an “avant-garde and bold step that paves the way for future women servants of the Church,” as she said. For his part, the secretary of the Committee on Church and Spiritual Affairs in the Synod, pastor doctor Hadi Ghantus, stressed that the Church cannot perform competently unless the woman is equivalent and on part with man. Rev. Ghantus hailed the appointment which substantiated the fact that decisions in accepting or refusing a woman be based solely on need, qualifications and priesthood service, disclosing the ordination on March 24 of another female pastor, preacher Najlaa Kassab. (An Nahar, February 25, 2017)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lebanese markets which were dynamic amidst the positive political developments during the fourth quarter of the past year have slowed down during the period of consultation for the formation of the new cabinet, according to Beirut Traders Association Fransabank Retail Index 4th Quarter 2016. The index showed that the lethargy prevailed even after the announcement of the government, posting 54.78 in the last quarter of 2016 against 53.41 in the third quarter. And despite the concordance of above stimulating events with the end-of-year and Christmas holiday season, the markets have not sufficiently recuperated. The impasse in local consumption across the various retail trade sectors has become structural, the index reported, noting that the psychological factor has stopped to be the only or key stimulus, no matter how vital it is. There were fundamental considerations related to the purchasing power and the priorities of spending, as well as to the profiles of consumers, (Lebanese citizens, refugees and tourists), according to the index analysis. The purchasing power of Lebanese households has drastically slid as a result of the dire economic conditions combined with an absence in growth and a ferocious competition in the labor market by skilled Syrian labor force who also have lower remuneration demands compared to the Lebanese, as well as a decline in the size of remittances from Lebanese expatriates to their families in Lebanon. The index found that the outcomes among retail sectors have been incongruent. While some sectors continued to witness a slowdown in activity, other sectors were able to achieve relative improvement. This proves, the index noticed, that the rationalization or prioritization in consumption is what matters most and that households spend mainly on basic needs and goods and dilly dally in non-essential items. As for the prime sectors that experienced a decline, they were as follows: car dealers (-13.51%), home accessories (-9.94%), clothing (constant fall reaching -8.91%), restaurants and snacks (-7.26%), malls (-7%), hypermarkets and food shops (-0.61%) and liquor and spirits (-0.27%). (Al Diyar, Al Hayat, February 23, 2017)

 

In a statement released yesterday, “Say No to Violence” association appealed to all Lebanese political parties and blocs to work hard to achieve a fair and just participation of women in political life and promote their access to Parliament in the upcoming elections. The call came after a regular meeting with involved civil society groups in the country who confirmed their demands to this effect. These include: nominate women for the elections; accelerate their access to decision making positions; create a civil society pressure group and give Lebanese women their rights on par with men. Participants stressed that marginalizing women constitutes a flagrant violation of human rights, which is totally unacceptable. They called on the government to observe related international agreements and fulfil its legislative role in abolishing all forms of discrimination inherent in the prevalent laws. ( Al Mustaqbal, February 24, 2017)

The regional startup accelerator, Flat6Labs Beirut (www.flat6labsbeirut.com), which is a partnership between Flat6Labs and ArabNet, launched yesterday the USD 20 million ‘Lebanon Seed Fund’ to support some 100 startups over the next 5 years. To note, the Cairo-based Flat6Labs is a regional business accelerator program that fosters and invests in talented and ambitious entrepreneurs with cutting-edge ideas. The fund which is approved and managed by the Bank of Lebanon by virtue of Circular 331, helps seed and early stage Lebanese startups through investment to provide a range of services that assists enterprises from the phase of idea all the way to early growth. Accordingly, startups will receive contributions from the seed fund program at a value of USD 30 thousand to USD 50 thousand, in addition to participation in a 16-week mentorship program on seed funding. Early stage startups will receive USD 100 thousand to USD 500 thousand, as well as access to Flat6Lab Beirut resources and operational guidance to kick off and expand their businesses. It should be noted, that as of yesterday, Flat6Lab Beirut will start accepting applications on flat6labsbeirut.com. (Al Diyar, February 24, 2017)

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) launched on Tuesday the new touristic circuit entitled ‘rural routes between Jbeil and Batroon’ which links together 20 villages in the area. The project, completed in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, the Municipality of Jbeil and PRODES Association (Promotion et Developpement Social), is expected to expand economic prospects, especially for women, and create jobs along the designated path. It comes as part of the rural tourism strategy kicked off by the ministry in February 2015 with the contribution of civil society. It helps to promote rural tourism as basis for the growth of rural economy and inspires cooperation between local stakeholders and the private sector to enhance economic growth. Moreover, the new circuit promotes touristic attractions of each village by highlighting its historic information, landmarks and rural activities on hand, and the accessible hospitality services, from restaurants to guesthouses. It should be noted that PRODES, active in building the capacities of women, has developed a training system to activate their role in presenting their rural communities in the context of preparing the groundwork of the above touristic path. (OLJ and Al Diyar 22,23 February 2017)

 

 

Horeca Lebanon, the country’s premier hospitality and foodservice fair, returns to Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure Center (BIEL) for its 24th edition from April 4 to 7, 2017. According to a statement by the organizing company, Hospitality Services, the event has become a regular meeting place bringing together international experts, owners of leading hotels and prominent food and beverages companies, as well as masterminds and decision makers in the sector. This year’s expo, the statement said, will host over 350 local and international businesses supplying goods from across the foodservice and hospitality industries, mainly from Belgium, Italy, France, the Netherlands, UAE, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Korea and Turkey. It will showcase more than 2000 famous brands, allowing visitors and exhibition goers to discover the new and yet to come foods and kitchen tools, in addition to the latest packaging, packing and branding ideas. The event this year will see lavish activities, more than 10 daily shows, including cooking and cocktail contests, dialogue tables and forums. Around 500 professionals are expected to compete with talented students in a variety of contests under the supervision of a competent jury comprising 60 international hospitality experts who will also share their expertise with the guests through open workshops. (Al Hayat, February 23, 2017)