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The Social Relief and Welfare Association in Saida held yesterday a graduation ceremony for some 80 Syrian refugee women who completed courses in sewing, cooking, secretariat and IT. The 3-month training workshop was funded by the Sharja Charity Association under the supervision of the Humanitarian and Development Affairs Attaché at the UAE embassy in Beirut. This activity comes as part of the Specific Human Capital Investment Program which includes support in the fields of vocational education and training, as well as protection and empowerment of women refugees and is implemented by the Emirati Attaché in Lebanon. In this context, Muslim Masuri, director of the Attaché, pointed out that the latter, in collaboration with involved partners, is currently studying ways to secure the  tools and equipment needed to assist graduates in starting up their small businesses. For his part, the head of the Sharja Charity Projects and Guarantees Management, Mohammad Hamdan Zerri, announced an extension of the courses for another semester to take in new students. He maintained that the aim of educating displaced Syrian women is to empower them to be self-reliant, facilitate their social integration and increase their chances to get jobs in order to eke out a living for their families. (Al Mustaqbal, February 23, 2017)

  

 

The eighth edition of ArabNet conference was launched on Monday in collaboration with Banque du Liban. Over 1500 corporate executives, entrepreneurs and investors were present at the forum to exchange ideas on digital innovation and entrepreneurship as a key facilitator for the future economic development in the country. On the occasion, the founder and CEO of ArabNet, Omar Christidis, emphasized the continuous advancement in the local digital sector supported by the Bank of Lebanon’s Circular 331, which upped the country to second place in the MENA region, with special focus on youth talents and achievements in the digital technology business sector. Another speaker at the conference, Raed Sharafeddine, first vice governor of the Central Bank, pointed out that after three years of the launch of the Central Bank’s initiative in support of digital knowledge economy, Lebanon has started to reap the benefits. Nearly 800 startups are currently instituted in Lebanon, Sharafeddine maintained, pointing that the sector contributed to securing around 6 thousand jobs and added wealth estimated at close to USD 1 billion. On the legal part, the minister of trade and economy, Raed Khury, disclosed that his ministry is presently revising and amending a number of bills, namely, the laws of trade, electronic procedures, partnerships between the public and private sectors, financial markets systems and many others. (Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, February 22, 2017)

 

 

The minister of state for administrative development affairs in the new government, Inaya Ezzideen, launched yesterday the job and orientation fair, 2017, at the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for Tripoli and the North, in the presence of concerned dignitaries. The 3-day event is organized jointly by the European Institute for Cooperation and Development (iecd) and Semeurs d’avenir association. In her opening address, minister Ezzideen pointed out that the exhibition is just a single stride in a comprehensive initiative that is part of the AFKAR program funded by the EU and controlled by the Office of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR). It seeks to build the skilled capacities of young men and women, as well as small enterprises, in Tripoli, Akkar and Diniyeh areas to facilitate their access to the much needed areas of the labor market, particularly in the social and economic spheres, Ezzideen explained. The  job and orientation fair, she said, acts as a vehicle for communication between schools, companies and civil society associations, and an awareness tool on the requirements of the market, mainly in the professional and technical sectors. It helps to bridge the gaps between vocational schools students and the recruiting companies. For her part, Jumana Sayadi, representing the industry minister, described the expo as a unique prospect for communication between youth talents and the major industrial and commercial institutions. (Al Diyar, February 22, 2017)

 

In its issue of February 12, Al Mustaqbal newspaper brought into focus an initiative by ‘Syrian Jasmine’ https://www.facebook.com/SyrianJasmine/, launched back in 2014 in the Jordanian capital, Amman, by Lara Shaheen. According to Shaheen, the project aims empowering displaced Syrian women through training them on how to craft and sell handmade merchandise instead of simply waiting for a short-lived and inadequate financial aid. The project started with 5 Syrian women refugees, and a capital barely exceeding USD 2000 on a 40 square meter office area with basic equipment, Shaheen told Al Mustaqbal reporter. Some 250 women joined the workshop in the first year, she said. The project is divided into two areas, she explained. The first, which is manufactured at the factory premises, includes the making of soaps, embroidery and sewing, while the second covers handmade crochet and woolen items designed by women from their own homes, Shaheen expounded. The beneficiaries who work at the factory receive a steady monthly pay, unlike those who work by piece where the institution usually deducts a certain share of their profits. As per the marketing concept, Shaheen noted that, given the limitations of getting a trading license for a Syrian woman in Jordan, she uses social media, particularly the Jasmine page on facebook. She mentioned that she relies much on the non-for-profit organizations who tend to buy Jasmine goods and sell them in their home countries, namely, Canada, Sweden, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE. The beneficiaries, she said, are women who have been brought together by war and exile, coming mainly from Aleppo, Homs, Damascus and Dar3a. (Al Mustaqbal, February 12, 2017)

 

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Syrian women refugees ache to find a job amidst overall disenchantment

 

 

In its issue of today, the Daily Star highlighted the hardship that will befall 300 Syrian girls and boys aged between 4 to 14 years due to a recent decision by Beyond organization.  Beyond provides relief to Syrian displaced but it will now close its office in Ghazza, western Beqaa, through which it was helping many Syrian families by providing social and psychological care particularly to children.  Beyond official and responsible for child protection in the Gazza camp, Enas Amhaz, noted that the main reason for this decision is the end of their project funding.  She added that Beyond shall be closing other centres for the same reason.  Amhaz clarified that Beyond started working three years ago in Syrian refugees settlements and was providing education services.  Since 2014, it started a project entitled “education for all children”.  The latter targeted Syrian children and provided them with awareness raising, psycho-social support, strengthening self-confidence, awareness of rights as well as integration in host communities and in local schools.  Amhaz concluded by saying that her organization notified stakeholders in the region of this decision some two months ago and also provided training for parents so that they are able to support their children after the organisations withdraws. (Daily Star, February 21st 2017)

 

In its issue of last Saturday, l’Orient le Jour highlighted the problems facing Lebanese women married to non-nationals and who cannot transmit their nationality to their family though they lived and grew up in Lebanon.   The newspaper spoke with 49 year old Ghada, divorced from her Syrian ex-husband and who lives with her three children near the stadium in Beirut.  Ghada who is a member of an association seeking to change the current nationality law, spoke about the difficulties she faces especially since she had to travel to Lattakeyh, despite the war in Syria, to renew her children’s identity papers.  Ghada noted that her children face many a hurdle especially since they could not find a job and thus had to leave to Sweden via illegal means.  If her children fail to enter Sweden, they are not even able to return to Lebanon in view of the recent refugee crisis.  According to Ghada, there are 90000 such cases in Lebanon of whom, only 180 are Christians.  Ghada says that if demographic concerns are behind this discrimination, she will accept to be treated as a second class citizen so that her children can have a nationality without the right to vote.  Ghada also said that she sent a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gibran Bassil, following his call for immigrants to claim their Lebanese citizenship, and in which she told the Minister that immigrants willingly waived their nationality and left the country.  Why then, should their citizenship be reinstated whilst Lebanese women married to foreigners are not given this right.  Ghada noted that she will continue to struggle until she reaches her objective. (L’Orient le Jour, February 18th, 2017)

 

The president of the association of industrialists, Fady Gemayel, warned in an interview to Al Mustaqbal newspaper, of the dangers resulting from the significant drop in Lebanese industrial exports.  Such dangers will affect the industrial sector as well as the Lebanese economy in general.  Gemayel noted that according to existing indicators, industrial exports will score an unprecedented low of USD 1.2 billion (one third of total industrial exports) by the end of 2016 compared to the high of USD 3.65 billion reached a few years ago and that is before these started to decline as a result of negative circumstances facing all economic sectors in Lebanon over the past few years.  Gemayel added that there are 100s of industries working to export their products and which now face imminent dangers of closure in view of the burden they withstood during the past few years.  According to Gemayel, such entities can no longer bear any more hardships and it is now time, with the new era and the new cabinet which herald renewed trust, and thus, it is now high time to take appropriate measures to compensate for losses in exports.  Gemayel revealed that his association suggested a programme to the Cabinet that would incentivize exports through, a) subsidizing export costs by USD 60 million; b) providing operational capital; c) increasing Lebanese exports to countries from which Lebanon imports; 4) asking countries and organization helping the displaced to buy Lebanese products to distribute to the displaced; 5) creating an association to seek exports to new countries. (Al Mustaqbal, 9 February 2917

 

The US Ambassador to Lebanon, Elisabeth Richard, launched last Friday the two-year Technical Assistance Program towards 38 Municipalities and Federations of Municipalities in the presence of mayors of various Lebanese districts. On the occasion, Richard stressed the long-standing support of her government towards reinvigorating the municipalities, especially that they contribute significantly to the economic and social development in the country. This USD 15 million worth of project, Richard explained, is part of the ‘Building Alliance for Local Advancement, Development and Investment’ (BALADI) program funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The project provides proper and feasible technical assistance to the municipalities and civil society organizations in order to enhance their internal regulations and professional performance, Richard said. It also represents a backbone for local non-government groups in support of their public causes related to public welfare, Richard added. Also according to a US Embassy statement, the above program guides municipalities to sustain their inner audit departments and administrative structures through organizational development as well as an improved financial, communication and disaster management systems. The program furthermore supports selected municipalities in handling the complex waste management file aggravated by the heavy influx of Syrian refugees into Lebanese host communities. (Al Mustaqbal, February 18, 2017)

 

The newly-appointed minister of economy and trade, Raed Khury, demanded in a letter to the Higher Relief Council last week that it releases the funds allocated to help apple growers. To recall, a ministerial decree issued in October, 2016, required subsidizing apple production as such, LBP 5 thousand per crate. In the meantime, following a meeting in Halba with the agriculture minister, Akkar potato farmers urged him to halt the entry into the country of low-quality Egyptian potatoes, and to find markets for some 60 thousand tons of local surplus production, as they anticipated this year’s harvest to reach some 100 thousand tons. In this context, the president of the Potato Farmers’ Cooperative’s Association, Omar Hayek, warned of an imminent disaster if external importation of agricultural goods is not regulated or foreign markets for domestic production secured. (Al Diyar, February 17 and 19, 2017)