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The President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Lebanon (CCIA), Mohammed Shucair, announced during his visit to the Minister of Industry, Hussein Hajj Hassan, that the training centre on food safety recently set up by the Chamber is organising, in collaboration with the Franchise association, its first workshop on January 20th which will be followed by similar workshops in other Chambers of the country.
Hajj Hassan noted for his part the need to pursue the joint effort between Ministries and the private sector on the subject of food safety, emphasizing on making it a permanent and institutional activity. He also called for enhancing the monitoring and control role of public institutions over the private sector, highlighting the importance of continuous training and full adherence to food safety standards.  Hajj Hassan noted that there is no contradiction in interests between food safety and the national economy.  He added that it is to the benefit of private institutions involved in tourism and food to maintain high standards and to improve their work. He further noted that the control role of the public sector is in order to help these institutions ensure food safety.  Hajj Hassan clarified that the forthcoming trainings which will take place in 2015 and 2016 will include employers and employes and will pave the way for receiving HACCP, ISO 22000, 19000, 18000 certificates; a matter of great importance for industries involved in production of high risk to public health.

(Source: Al-Diyar 15 January 2015)
 

 The Minister of Tourism, Michel Pharaon, headed the meeting of the National Council to Promote Rural Tourism in Lebanon which was held the day before yesterday.  The Minister noted that rural tourism is a wide and subject which includes rural, religious and agricultural tourism as well as others.  He added that the newly developed rural tourism strategy is based on improving marketing, promoting consumers' awareness through highlighting pathways of rural tourism as well as its local and international products and services, as well as protecting environmental, cultural, historical and agricultural heritage of rural areas.  During the meeting, Pharaon announced that a workshop will be held in the Serail in early Februaryt to launch the first practical steps of the strategy.  Pharaon clarified that the development of the strategy was accompanied by serious preparation work in many of the targeted areas.  Jezzine, Shouf, Mid Bekaa, Batroun and Byblos all expressed immediate interest in the endeavor while further meetings will be held later in other areas after they complete their proposal. Pharaon further added that eco tourism and religious tourism will be moving in tandem this year in terms of emphasis and marketing.  He indicated that during the period of five years, rural tourism will be developed so as to represent 15 to 20% of tourism in Lebanon compared to only 5% today.
 (Source: Al-Diyar & Annahar 14 January,2015)
 
 

 The “Baladi” programme for building alliances for progress, development and local investments, and which is implemented by USAID announced that it will start receiving development project projects from those municipalities wishing to receive support from the programme. The period for submitting applications extends from 15January to 15 March 2015.  All details related to the application will be available during that period via the following link: http://www.baladi-lebanon.org. The programme also invited municipalities, CSOs and community members to attend the seminars which will be held in different parts of the country on how to prepare and submit proposals in addition to the project criteria.  Seminars will start in January 19th and will continue until February 2nd.
 (Source: Al-Mustaqbal 14 January, 2015)
 

The Lebanon Business and Professional Women's Club in Lebanon organised the day before yesterday a first workshop on the ecosystem for entrepreneurship and management.  The workshop was facilitated by Dr. Sahar Al Sallab, a consultant and expert on finance and banking.  Some 48 businesswomen from different sector took part in the workshop and positively engaged with the presentation given by Al Sallab on how to develop their businesses. Al Sallab presented also five commercial, industrial and cultural projects which she assessed their feasibility before being submitted for adoption by the Arab Business Women Council as models of successful enterprises. Al Sallab concluded the workshop by distributing certificates to the attendees.
 
(Al-Mustaqbal & Al-Nahar 14 January, 2015)
 

 

According to the study on urban poverty prepared by the Ministry of Social Affairs in collaboration with ESCWA and UNDP and launched two days ago, 57% of the population in Tripoli are poor and deprived and 26% live under the poverty line, 77% have difficult economic conditions, 35% suffer from health problems and/or live in insalubrious conditions, and 25% are deprived from education.

The study also indicated that the proportion of poverty and deprivation varies from one area to another and is at its peak in Tebbaneh and Suwayqah where it reaches 87% of the population compared to 75% in the old market, 69% in Qobbeh and Jabal Mohsen, 63% in El Mina, 36% in Al-Tal and in Al Zahirieh , 26% in Al Mina Basateen  and 29% in Basateen Tripoli. As for the proportion of  extreme poverty, ratios are as follows: 52% of the deprived families live in in Tebbaneh and Suwayqah, 36% in the old town medina, 28% in El Mina, 28% in Qobbeh and Jabal Mohsen, 11% in Al-Tal and in Al Zahirieh, 10% in Al Mina Basateen and 10% in Basateen Tripoli.

The study noted that dealing with this situation must look at the causes and launch mechanisms which will help achieve sustainable outcomes.  The study presents three approaches to address the needs and capabilities of the area and ensure safety and security as two conditions sine qua none for any development plan.  The main aim of any development plan should be to set up an economic process which is in line with the national economy and focusing on employment of young people.  The study ends with several conclusions namely that Tripoli is a poor city which includes pockets of opulence, that poverty bears many dimensions which are strongly interconnected, that there is a need to minimise the gaps in wealth in the city, that there is a need to invest in large economic projects, and for a strong local governance, that present political cleavages in Tripoli encourage chaos.  The study further concluded  that there is a need to redraw the profile of Tripoli and to tap on unused resources and recognise that the current general trend in the city is that of further impoverishment.

(Source: As-Safir, Al-Nahar, Al-Mustaqbal, Al-Akhbar 12 January 2015)

Related article:
63% of Tripoli residents are poor while employment level tops 40%
 

The Minister of Economy and Trade held a meeting last Friday including the Ministry's Director General, Allia Abbase, the Director General of the Office of grains and beets, Hanna al Amil, and a delegation of bakeries owners in Lebanon headed by its president Kathem Ibrahim. The meeting discussed the issue of bread especially given the drop in the cost of fuel and the ensuing decision to increase the weight of a single bread packet from 900 to 950 grams as of today whilst the price will remain set at LBP 1500 per packet.   Following the meeting, Ibrahim called on all bakeries owners to abide by the new decision and ensuring the quality and cleanliness of the bread.  The Minister of Economy and Trade, Alain Hakim, told As Safir newspaper that this agreement which has been in process for a while is based on a study which looked at the impact of the drop in fuel prices on the bakeries sectors and which revealed that the impact is not significant.  Hoever, Hakim added that the Ministry worked with the Syndicate of bakeries to reach this agreement which will be in effect for three months.  

(Source: As-safir 12 January 2015)
 

The Ministry of Labor (MoL), issued a statement last Friday calling on all employers to bear the costs of recruiting foreign workers including paying for work permits and NSSF subscriptions.  The ministry statement reminded employers of the yearly costs which amount to LBP 1,800,000 for category 1, LBP 960,000 for category 2, LBP 480,000 for category three and LBP 240,000 for category 4 in addition to insurance costs and lab tests.  The Ministry also added that Syrian employers and employees only pay 25% of the above charges whilst Palestinian refugees are exempt from work permit fees as per law 129/2010.  Azzi explained that the new procedures to issue entry visas for Syrians or any other foreign national do not waive the need to have work permits.  The statement concludes with a warning that any failure to abide by the above will render employers liable to prosecution according to the laws in force.

(Source: Al-Diyar- Al-Mustaqbal 12 January 2015)