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British initiative to promote businesses, employment in Lebanon

20-1-2020

In its edition of January 17, An Nahar drew attention to the Lebanon Enterprise and Employment Program (LEEP) funded by the British Department for International Development (DFID). Said program, to recall, supports small and medium enterprises through the provision of funds and mentoring in business development with the aim to help them grow and stimulate employment. According to An Nahar, the above program partners with banks and financial institutions involved with small loan programs, as well as providers of business development services (BDS). It seeks to help beneficiaries who got business loans last year worth of USD 8000 and 7500 to receive a grant 50% of the loan value. Beneficiaries are expected to benefit from BDS services offered by specialists to help them implement and activate their business plans and access new markets, in addition to support in management and the creation of jobs. The program reportedly stresses gender-based equality to strengthen social integration of women. In this respect, the head of the program’s action team, James Carty, explained that the UK government has designed the program to help SMEs in Lebanon which represent the backbone of national economy. This, he said, could infuse a major outlet for the country amidst the critical economic situation.(An Nahar, January 17, 2020)
 

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Anti-Trump women’s march in Washington

20-1-2020

On Saturday, thousands of women gathered in Washington for the annual march in protest against US President Donald Trump. Smaller marches were organized in other cities, mainly NYC. Marchers wore pink hats in allusion to their rejection of Trump’s demeaning comments to women, expressing caution against his winning a second presidential term next November. During the march, Kim Elliot, 40, living in Washington, carried a placard which read, “I am even more outraged than I was 3 years ago.” Another protestor, Lauren Sloniger, 26, from Washington suburb, sent a message to Trump saying, “We know what you’ve done and we’ll hold you accountable for that.” Recalling, that the street women’s movement started back in 2017 with Trump’s arrival at the White House and were repeated every year becoming a tradition uniting all Trump’s opponents and policies. (An Nahar, January 19, 2020)
 

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Agro-food initiative to provide 100 jobs to women

17-1-2020

Berytech launched on January 15 the ACT Smart Innovation Hub funded in partnership with the Embassy of The Netherlands. The program is an upgraded copy of Agrytech with a supplement clean tech sector (energy, waste and water) which aims to build up economic growth and create jobs in the agri-food and clean technology industries. According to Berytech chairman and CEO, Maroun Chammas, said program is expected to provide around 200 direct employment opportunities and some 400 indirect prospects, including 50% targeting the youth and 25% linked to women. It will also allocate necessary know-how resources to concerned startups to help them expand and grow their ideas into international businesses in addition to a funding of USD 100,000. The ACT Smart Innovation Hub extends over 36 months from September 2019 to August 2022. During the launch, Berytech deputy general manager, director of the program, Rami Bou Jawdeh, explained that the program will benefit from Agri-tech achievements with new areas directed to improve access to markets and partnerships through technology transfer, supportive research and focus on actual market challenges. The Dutch ambassador, Jan Waltmans, for his part, said the current status quo in Lebanon underlines the need to prop innovation and job creation for youth. He pointed out that investment in agro-food and cleantech is a priority for Netherlands in Lebanon. (L’Orient Le Jour, January 17, 2020)

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Woman nominated for the top post in Greece

17-1-2020

Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on Wednesday nominated progressive female judge, Ekaterini Sakellaropoulou, as head of the state. To note, that should the Greek legislature approves said nomination, the judge (63), who heads the Council of State, will become the first woman to assume this honorary post in Greece. On this, Mitsotakis said in a televised address: “It is time for Greece to open up to the future.” He stressed that his choice breaks the mold, not because Sakellaropoulou is a woman, but because she does not belong to any party. Her nomination reflects unity and progress, he stated. For her part, Sakellaropoulou, told the official INI news agency that her candidacy was an honor for her, expressing willingness to devote all efforts to serve this high duty. (Al Diyar, Janaury 17, 2020)

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Home-based kitchens popular in Syria, subsist women

17-1-2020

In its edition of today, Al Akhbar wrote that the harsh economic conditions associated with the conflict in Syria, have encouraged the emergence of so-called home-based kitchens which are easy to set up, fast to produce and their profits are guaranteed. The newspaper spotlighted Leen Saaddedine (26) who, with the help of her mom and other enthusiastic women, prepare a list of meals and orders for special occasions and events at affordable prices. Manal Masri (28) is another young woman who manages a Facebook group under the name of her kitchen through which she posts the menus with prices and catchy photos. She then communicates with the customers via whatsapp to order from the list of scrumptious home-cooked meals. Speaking to Al Akhbar, Saaddedine explained that conditions were difficult after the extended family was forced to live under the same roof because of the war. Only then, she said, one can change his/her own destiny by contemplating reality from a different perspective. Saaddedine said her clientele’s trust in the hygiene of her kitchen and the lip-smacking recipes she prepares, in addition to her good management, were a key factor in promoting her work. She stressed that social media platforms also contributed to the reputation and attracted more customers. In turn, Masri said she started her kitchen with only USD 100 and some home provisions, of course with the help of her mother and aunt. Today, our number grew and the kitchen project supports more than 7 households, she boasted. More on the following link: https://al-akhbar.com/Sham/282616. (Al Akhbar, January 17, 2020)

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Work & livelihoods: Rising unemployment and prices in the absence of pubic control

16-1-2020

An Nahar today warned of a grave unemployment crisis brought on by the calamitous economic and financial situation. Citing Information International, the newspaper revealed that the year 2019 has seen the layoff of nearly 18,000 employees, including 9,000 in the past three months of the same year, in addition to the cut to half in salaries of about 50,000 employees. Others have not received their thirteenth salaries, the newspaper wrote, noting that most of the layoffs were in the tourism and hospitality sector. In a related vein, An Nahar quoted labor minister, Kamil Abu Sleiman, who noted that the ministry has recently received 120 requests from companies involving collective termination of employment, including 5,000 employees, while the said newspaper confirmed that the number could be much bigger, noting that InfoPro Research estimated in a study on the conditions of the private sector, published last November, that since popular protests on October 17, 2019, private sector lost more than 160,000 permanent or temporary jobs, and closed 10% of its establishments. Regarding unemployment rate, An Nahar quoted human development consultant, Adeeb Ne3meh, who stated that the rate of unemployment is expected to rise in the upcoming months, either directly through job loss or through reducing working hours and working days and hence paying half the salary. Similarly, Al Diyar daily mentioned the fluctuation in prices of the basic commodities and foodstuff is not only the result of the high exchange rate of the US dollar at money exchangers, but also because of monopolistic, Al Diyar explained, quoting a number of large merchants who said they imported large quantities of goods before the October 17 Uprising. Surveillance of traders by competent authorities is very difficult at this critical stage, especially that the number of small traders is tremendous against only 140 inspectors from the ministry of economy and trade. Al Diyar pointed out that, based on the Consumer Price Index of the Central Administration of Statistics, clothing and footwear prices increased by 30% during November compared to the prices of October. The prices of spirits, tobacco, furniture and household items rose 15%!. (An Nahar, Al Diyar, January 16, 2020)

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First woman named as senior diplomat of the Vatican

16-1-2020

In a bold move breaking traditions, Pope Francis appointed a woman to a senior post in the secretariat of state. Italian Francesca Di Giovanni (66), a specialist in international law and human rights, will assume a managerial role in the Section for Relations with States holding the rank of undersecretary, one of two deputy foreign ministers. Commenting on this, Giovanni told Vatican News that her appointment was ‘unprecedented’. Women may have certain skills for finding common ground and shared aims to heal relations with loyalty, she maintained. To recall, the Catholic Church allows only men to be ordained as priests and women traditionally work in administrative posts and are always in the shadows. However, women rights groups, namely the International Union of Superiors General, under the umbrella of Catholic nuns, have demanded the pope to assign more females to higher positions within the Vatican administration. (An Nahar, January 16, 2020)
 

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Posters of world women leaders to raise awareness on domestic violence

16-1-2020

Italian pop artist and activist, Alexandro Palombo, launched ‘Just because I am a Woman’ street art campaign in Milano featuring famous women politicians as victims of gender-based violence. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness on domestic violence all over the world, and urge political institutions to respond to eliminate this serious scourge. Among the battered faces of most prominent women, are German chancellor Angela Merkel, US Democratic Congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, First French Lady, Brigitte Macron, First US Lady, Michelle Obama, former US secretary of state, Hilary Clinton and the president of the Indian National Congress, Sonia Gandhi. (Al Akhbar, January 16, 2020)
 

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Livelihoods: Health care at risk, tampering at the petrol stations, but internet services safe for now

15-1-2020

The caretaker health minister, Jamil Jabak, announced yesterday that he reached a temporary solution to the impasse related to the import of medical equipment by settling the dollar exchange rate which allows importers and hospitals to survive and continue. Yet, Al Akhbar daily reported that Jabak did not clarify how to apply this solution when the majority of Lebanese banks refuse to comply with the Banque du Liban’s governor’s directive to open credits in hard currency for medical suppliers, while hospitals’ syndicate president, Suleiman Harun revealed that he will soon inform the guarantor funds that hospitals can no longer perform surgeries that involve medical equipment’s, adding that he crisis is seriously jeopardizing the health sector and needs an exigent intervention on part of the central bank On the other hand, the caretaker minister of energy, Nada Bustani, promised the head of the Syndicate of Owners of Petrol Stations, Sami Brax, to persuade petroleum importing companies to deliver fuel in exchange for payment in Lebanese lira only. For his part, the minister of economy, Bteish, issued a circular warning owners of petrol stations of any tampering with the meters on pumps. Concerning Ogero’s threat that Lebanon is at risk of being disconneted from the global web by the end of March 2020 if the requisite dollars to maintain internet connectivity were not secured, Ogero chairman, Imad Kreidieh, said this is out of the question at least for the next six months! Likewise, while the former Ogero director, Abdel Monem Yousef, denied the inability of the country to pay, An Nahar newspaper said the transaction is made through an Ogero account in USD at the Investments Department at Banque du Liban, adding that dues are paid to companies in dollars without any difficulties. (Al Akhbar, An Nahar, Al Diyar, January 15, 2020)

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Workshop to support women’s leadership skills

15-1-2020

In partnership with GPG and Atlanta, Fiftyfifty Lebanon organized a workshop yesterday entitled, ‘Stronger with Women’, which is part of the women political participation program. The latter, to recall, aims to support independent women or women members of political parties to access decision making positions in order to develop policies that are nondiscriminatory toward Lebanese women. Experts attending the workshop sessions spoke on how to improve partisan policies and prop leadership skills of their women members. There were also interventions by representatives of the workshop organizers, who underlined the need to address the root causes of inadequate or non-existent equality and the political empowerment of women; consider practical ways to obtain the support of party leaders for gender-equality policies, as well as training on elections matters. The beneficiaries were also trained on how to acquire skills that help them achieve the required contribution and involvement in the partisan and political life. (Al Mustaqbal, January 14, 2020)

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