News

Notwithstanding the refusal of the Labor Minister (MoL), Sajaan Azzi, to legally approve the formation of the trade union of migrant women domestic workers (MWDW), members of the union celebrated yesterday its first year in the Beirut suburb of Dekwaneh. Tens of women workers from different nationalities gathered to reiterate their demand for basic rights, particularly their right to end the sponsorship (Kafala) system. According to Al Akhbar newspaper, the new trade union succeeded in promoting awareness and mobilizing workers on their rights. Speaking to the newspaper, workers expressed pride in this accomplishment which has become a legal reference for them. Maryan, from Senegal, said the Union is a strong support system which allows her and other workers to communicate and manage their problems as they arise. She noted however, that things will not change immediately but gradually, and that this year shall witness a number of adjustments. Aminata, on the other hand, said “the union has demonstrated to us that the work conditions we have been putting up with were not proper, but we did not have a platform to articulate our grievances.” As for plans for this year, the newspaper pointed out to the cooperation with the Swiss Agency for Development through a 3-year ‘Support and Empowerment of MWDW’ project that will aim to build the mobilisation capacities of members. Meanwhile, the head of the National Federation of Trade Unions, Castro Abdallah, stressed that the MWDW union has proved itself after all, prompting the Minister of Labor to take stricter actions, to close down agencies in violation of the law while paving the way to seriously tackling the critical question of human trafficking.

Al Akhbar February 1, 2016

 

In order to support its domestic marketing, in the face of fierce foreign competition, the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for Tripoli organized last Friday an olive festival under the patronage of Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayeb. On the occasion, the head of the Agriculture Department in the North, Dr. Iqbal Ziadeh, indicated that the total area of olive cultivated land has reached 22 thousand hectares pointing that the lion’s share of this agriculture activity is located in Akkar, Kura, Zgharta, Batrun, Minyyeh & Dennyeh and as far as Tripoli. Ziadeh noted that nearly 41% of Lebanon’s olive trees are located in the North, where some 274 olive presses are operational. Similarly, Louis Lahhud, who represented Minister Shehayeb at the ceremony, said that both the public and private sectors have not given this agriculture the attention it deserves, while calling for a change in the conventional approach towards the olive industry.

Meanwhile, Al- Hadatha organization in the town of Birkail, held a graduation ceremony for a group of young men and women who completed a training workshop that focused on the cultivation of olives and the production of olive oil. The event which was funded by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) took place in the presence of Al-Hadatha president, Zaher Obeid and the IRC representative and trainer, Saad Khaled. (Al Diyar, January 30, 2016)

 

According to the Agility Emerging Markets Logistics Index for the year 2016, published by Expert Research and Analysis, Lebanon ranked 42 among 45 markets and the last among 13 Arab countries. The results also indicated that Lebanon came last among 17 middle to high income states covered in the survey, while no change was recorded for the country’s global and regional 2015 status. The Agility Index classifies emerging markets in terms of their size, work conditions, infrastructure and other factors that make them attractive to logistics customers, mainly shipping lines, freight agents and distribution companies. It should be noted that the index uses three metrics to assess the emerging markets, and they are, size, growth attractiveness and compatibility and connectedness. On the global scene, Lebanon ranked ahead of Kenya, Cambodia and Uganda, scoring 3.43 points, at 3.7% fall from the 2015 score of 3.56 points. The survey also showed that Lebanon came in the last place according to the size and growth attractiveness sub-index which reflects the state’s economic product, the expected growth rate of the real GDP, financial stability and population size. Similarly, the market compatibility sub index placed Lebanon 33 globally, 10 among 12 Arab countries and 12  among the middle to high income countries. This sub index, to be noted, rates emerging markets by their market accessibility and business regulation, foreign direct investment, market risk and security threats, as well as by the level of likely demand for logistics services. Finally, Lebanon ranked 37 globally, 12 regionally, and 16 among the middle to high income states according to the market connectedness sub-index which assesses a country’s domestic and international transport infrastructure and how well they connect. (Al Akhbar, January 29, 2016)

 

Mohammad She3ayb Foundation (MCF), a philanthropic association involved in health, education and women empowerment, and led by oncology researcher Dr. Nadia She3ayb, announced that it will soon launch an international directory of social responsibility initiatives, vocational contacts and support programs. Sociality, as its name suggests, is a professional social media site that has been specially designed to build bridges between the business world and societal or community based organizations. This will be achieved through giving registered members an opportunity to publish and document relevant activities and projects, as well as set up a professional communication network for involved companies and associations. For more insight, Dr. She3ayb said that the aim of Sociality is “to allow charities to communicate with the business establishments on the basis of transparency and to the advantage of communities who seriously need help and empowerment”. The service will be available on the internet in the forthcoming month of March. (The Daily Star, January 28, 2016)

 

The Francophone University Agency (AUF)-Middle East Office organized yesterday a meeting to review the projects implemented by French-speaking academic associations in Lebanon. Present at the event which took place in Beirut were university institutions, researchers, academics and experts in pre-college education. Participants stressed the Francophone values that as they all agreed are not confined to teaching the French language, but also to spread the principles of human rights, democracy and the respect for cultural and linguistic diversity.

 

On the occasion, the programs officer at the ‘creative and scientific section’, Mireille Rassy, outlined the initiative supported by the Agency, which addresses social and humanitarian issues in the region, women in particular. Similarly, the structural projects’ officer Nathalie Bitar, gave an overview of the series of seminars that were organised as part of the project and which aimed at linking higher education with the needs of the private sector for specialized and skilled workforce. She also pointed out to another implemented project that linked tourism and cultural heritage. Towards the end, the AUF, in coordination with Berytech represented by Sammy Abu Jaoudeh, handed the ‘Francophone Women Award in the Investment World 2015’ to Stephanie Hanna. Hanna won the first prize for her project ‘your name’ and Aline Gemayel came second for her furniture related project. (An Nahar, Al Diyar, January 28 2016)

 

 

Al Akhbar newspaper shed light yesterday on an electronic campaign launched recently which calls out sexism and objectification of women in advertising and sarcastically criticizes the use of images that exploit women to this end. WomenNotObjects viral video on Youtube aimed at changing the way ad companies portray women to promote their products. Highlighting the spread of gender-based discrimination and the objectification of women in reality, the clip shows a group of women carrying pictures of advertisements by well-known companies or similar posts on social media networks that sexualize women to sell more. It underlines the message to be addressed in a sarcastic manner so that it looks distasteful.

The Ad executive is Madonna Badger, co-founder and chief creative director of Badger Land Winters agency. Badger in an interview with Wall Street Journal pointed out that her enthusiasm to produce the video is in part a tribute to her daughters who in 2011 were burned to death as fire erupted inside their house. She went on to say that she is trying to alter these kinds of suggestive ads that are harmful to young women and can undermine their self-esteem and self-confidence. (Al Akhbar, January 27, 2016)

The Lebanese Prime Minister, Tammam Salam, sponsored yesterday the launching ceremony of the initial studies project introducing three new industrial zones into the country. The PM said that such undertakings will be pioneers in their adoption of high-end industrial specifications in a sector that has long been ignored. “Industry in Lebanon is a basic pillar of economic growth,” Salam added. Similarly, the Industry ministry, Hussein Haj Hassan, maintained that the launching of new zones helps in evading unwanted problems currently in place. They also achieve several desired goals like for example: a demonstrated competence of the Ministry of Industry in management of the zones in line with relevant laws; growth of national economy; better regulating of the industrial sector; introducing new areas for industrial investment at economical prices; provision of various production inputs, including electricity at reduced costs, mainly through the use of renewable and alternative energy sources; the development of rural and remote areas through the creation of thousands of jobs that keep the Lebanese steadfast on their land. On this occasion, Italian Ambassador, Massimo Maroti, noted that ‘the development of industrial zones in Lebanon’ initiative comes as part of a UNIDO program funded by a 500 thousand euro Italian grant. He made clear that such an initiative “shall contribute to the study required to assess the industrial development capabilities of the three regions, Baalbek and Terbol, in Beqaa and Joon in Mount Lebanon”. In conclusion, Fadi Gemayel, head of the Lebanese Industrialists Association, underlined the importance of setting up such zones in suitable areas as they will boost the economic presence of these areas through the provision of jobs and the possible the opening of technical institutes to fill the new needs for skilled laborers. This, he said, may also be coupled with the setting up of touristic ventures, recreational and residential spaces as well as hospitals. (As Safir, An Nahar, Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, January 27, 2016)

 

The Industry Minister, Hussein Haj Hassan, raised yesterday many questions on the need to support students/ innovators and winners of international awards through turning their creative projects into profitable and productive endeavors, as well as the need to wisely select the type of scientific research with the funds and backing  it needs from the government. Haj Hassan was speaking during the opening of a conference entitled ‘the relationship between companies and university institutions’ organized jointly by the University of the Holy Spirit and the Lebanese Association for the Advancement of Sciences (LAAS) at the University campus in Kaslik. Dr. Na3im 3ueini, head of the LAAS, said that the purpose of the conference is to link graduates with industrialists and owners of companies and factories, especially in light of an increasing trend (nearly 600 students) for PhD enrollment in the various disciplines and specialties. Participants stressed the importance of funneling doctorate projects into the labor market to reduce the spread of unemployment among the young generation in Lebanon. For his part, the president of the Lebanese Industrialists Association, Fadi Gemayel, pointed out that the country “lacks the needed comprehensive vision and strategy in order to utilize youth potentials in order to achieve economic growth and social prosperity.” Likewise, Dr. Ahmad Jamal, the Director General of Higher Education, noted that efforts by young researchers and the costs invested in their college studies are often not fully rewarded, so graduates mainly end up teaching at universities, adding that this is largely due to poor coordination between research outputs and labor market needs of the industry and economic sectors more generally. (Al Mustaqbal, As Safir, Al Diyar, January 27, 2016)

 

In collaboration with the Center for Development Services at the Ministry of Social Affairs, the UNIFIL Italian battalion organized a workshop on Italian cuisine in the southern city of Tyre which mainly targeted a number of women in the region. Commenting on the event, the Ministry’s Tyre sector director, Ghassan Abu Jahjah, said the course is beneficial to the locals as it helps them to better integrate with the UNIFIL forces operating in the area. One Italian officer in charge,  pointed out that the practical workshop organised by the office for military civil cooperation, comes as part of the ongoing cultural exchange between the people and Italian soldiers serving in UNIFIL. (Al Mustaqbal, January 23, 2016)

 

The National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) met yesterday at its premises in the Beirut suburb of Baabda to evaluate last year’s achievements and to discuss its priorities for 2016. The meeting led by NCLW vice-chairperson, Randa Berri, with the participation of PM’s wife, Lama Tamam Salam, was devoted to the discussion of proposed priorities, notably the adoption of a national work plan guiding the implementation of the UN Council Resolution 1325/2000 on women, peace and security and the promotion of knowledge on women’s human rights among judicial staff workers. NCLW also tackled a number of issues, including: regulating the work of migrant women domestic workers, publishing information related to the final recommendations issued by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discriminations Against Women (CEDAW), women’s political participation and the right of the Lebanese women to grant nationality to their children. In conclusion, the Commission ratified the 2015 financial report and approved the 2016 budget.

An Nahar, Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, January 26, 2016