News

In a statement issued yesterday, the Internal Security Forces said that an Ethiopian woman migrant worker was kidnapped by a 31 year old man pretending to be a law enforcer under the guise of not having her ID papers.  The perpetrator took the women to Chekka where he raped her and took pictures of her naked and forced her to ask her friends to send him USD 250 worth of units to his phone so that he erases the video.  The criminal was tracked and captured the same day by armed forces.
In a related vein, Al-Nahar newspaper reported that a 20 year old Ethiopian worker living in Zrarieh died from a fall from the second floor of a household where she was working. The corpse was transported to the hospital in Sarafand while the security forces checked the site and conjured the household members for investigation.
Source: Al-Nahar, Al-Nahar 25 November 2014

The global entrepreneurship summit kicked off in Morocco last week using the slogan of "Harnessing the Power of Technology for Innovation and Entrepreneurship".  The event recorded the participation of numerous decision makers and business people who met with 3000 young entrepreneurs and students from over 50 countries to exchange experiences on how to develop and support small and medium enterprises.  The issue of women business entrepreneurship was very much discussed during the first day of the summit with emphasis on Morocco, Africa and the rest of the world.  In fact, women representation at the summit was quite visible and encouraged by the organizers who ensured that business women and other stakeholders were present to exchange ideas about best practices as well as highlight success stories at the international level.  The summit also produced recommendations for tangible actions to strengthen women’s position in the world of business.
Within the same vein, the US vice-president Joseph Biden noted in his opening speech during the event that the US will allocate USD 1 billion to support project in the private sectors in many countries and that is throughout the coming three years with emphasis on women and youth.  Biden also launched a new initiative for virtual exchanges between US youth and their counterparts in the MENA region.  This initiative seeks to strengthen youth capacities to address local and international challenges through raising their competitiveness.
Source: Al-Nahar 24 November 2014

The first conference of the LandcareMed project was organized last week at the Lebanese University (LU) focusing on the theme of “treatment of rural waste: scientific aspects and capitalization”.  The conference aimed at developing and building the capacities of local organizations and institutions to enable them to address the issue of household and rural organic waste in an economic and sustainable manner.  The project is jointly implemented by LU, Haret Saida and Zebdeen – Nabatieh municipalities, as well as Decimoputzu municipality and Cagliari University in Italy, and the Higher School of Rural Equipment Engineers (ESIER), in addition to Madjez al Bab municipality in Tunisia. The project has secured funding form the EU through a Euro 2 million grant from the ENPI CBC MED initiative.
The director of the Laboratory of Materials, Catalysis, Environment and Analytical Methods (MCEMA), Tayssir Hamieh, noted that this project will utilize a contemporary processing facility based on micro thermal degradation that will help treat solid organic waste through producing biological coal, which itself is a source of energy as well as a fertilizer.  He added that the project is entering its first phase which will extend over two years, and will include raising awareness on issues related to household waste.  Hamieh further added that citizens will be full partners in this initiative through sorting solid waste at home.  The project coordinator, Maria Laura Foddis, noted that the programme is not exclusive to the public sector but also is open to private sector and civil society as well as universities.  The project director at the Zebdeen municipality, Kassem Tufeyli, noted that the first phase has indeed kicked off and is focusing on a sample of 50 families (circa 200 individuals) and is also targeting restaurants, schools and commercial shops.
Source: Al-Safir 22 November 2014

ACADEMIA Lebanon launched its annual university exhibition yesterday at the UNESCO palace in collaboration with Makhzoumi foundation and under the auspices of Minister of Education Elias Bou Saab. The exhibition extended over 2 days, with the participation of some 70 universities from over 10 countries in the world, in addition to universities from Lebanon. Nasser Shatila, director of ACADEMIA Lebanon, noted that, surprisingly, some of the well known foreign universities are offering high-quality programs at quite affordable prices compared to universities operating in Lebanon, adding that this should encourage universities in Lebanon to improve their quality of education while lowering their prices.

Shatila also noted that this year many universities operating in Lebanon have already integrated oil and gas degrees in their programs following news about the discovery of oil and gas on Lebanon’s offshore, such as the Rafik Hariri University (RHU) and the Islamic University of Lebanon. The exhibition also included a number of workshops for educators and the first Youth and Petrol Conference which was organized in collaboration with the British council, and the participation of Amideast and the French Cultural Center (CCF).
Source: The Daily Star 20 November 2014

Prime Minister Tammam Salam met yesterday with a number of students from private and public schools at the Grand Serail, where they discussed the rights of youth unemployment rates and several other issues. Salam’s argument about the subject did not give the students any glimpse of hope.  He noted while speaking on the mass emigration of Lebanese youth that Lebanon is a small country and cannot provide job opportunities to all its graduates (!?). He added that, in recent years, some 35,000 engineers and 12,000 doctors graduated in Lebanon, noting that those numbers far exceed demand in the market. Salam also noted the surplus of universities in the country, adding that the Cabinet had delayed the approval of approximately 12 new university departments in an effort to ensure that standards of education remain up to par.
Source: The Daily Star 20 November 2014

Lebanese journalist Sahar Baasiri, wife of Lebanon's permanent representative at the UN, Nawwaf Salam, was elected yesterday President of the International Women Forum of the UN.  The Forum was created in 1975 and is under the auspices of the wife of the Secretary General.  It includes women ambassadors to the UN and its membership is also open to ambassadors' wives, women diplomats and women from the New York civil society scene.
Source: Al-Nahar, 20 November 2014

FransaBank organized yesterday at the Adnan Kassar building a joint press conference with Vitas Company, during which the bank distributed 24 prizes, of USD 1,000 each, to owners of small enterprises from different rural areas, and as part of the bank’s commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and in an attempt to strengthen balanced development. The President of Vitas, Ziad Halabi, considered in his keynote speech, that the partnership between his company and FransaBank is a glaring evidence that both sides are determined to support marginalized and low-income groups through helping them to access small financial services, and thus to contribute to social and economic development. For his part, the General Director of FransaBank, Nadim Kassar, noted that one of the main key pillars on which the bank builds its values and culture is that of empowering low-income individuals, through providing them with opportunities to overcome unemployment and improve their livelihoods. Kassar also noted that FransaBank has until now provided more than 10000 small loans, worth some USD 20 millions. The press conference included the projection of a short documentary film on how lives of low-income individuals in rural areas, have improved because of FransaBank loans.
Source: Al-Safir 19 November 2014

A ray of hope emerges when talking of green thyme harvests, amidst the constant talk about the general depressed agricultural seasons in Lebanon this year. According to Al-Safir newspapers the sellers of thyme, at the entrance of southern Tyre, seem this season optimistic as they merrily wait for the harvests at the beginning of winter. Al-Safir also noted that thyme cultivation has become part of modern agriculture since thyme planted fields are now irrigated using the “drip” system and the farmers are using organic compost in the preparation of the allotted lands. The report also highlighted that thyme growing employs hundreds of farmers and gives significant economic reward. One of the thyme growers in Shawakeer, an outskirt of Tyre, Ibrahim Zain, explained that in spite of the high cost of planting, land rentals, irrigation, prices of organic fertilizers and labor, thyme cultivation "rewards farmers for their efforts and hardships".
Source: Al-Safir, 19 November 2014

Al Hayat newspaper published the day before yesterday a report on the joint working spaces in Lebanon which provide youth entrepreneurs a starting point in their businesses.  According to the report, at a time when the idea of business pioneering appears risky in Lebanon and especially with the absence of state support for small and medium enterprises, this may gradually change through initiatives committed to the concept of entrepreneurship and based on the idea of creating joint spaces.  Such spaces are specialized for youth entrepreneurs for whom they secure basic services and offices at a nominal fee in addition to advice and guidance via continuous workshops.  These spaces also provide opportunities to meet business people and key pioneers in the field in addition to exchanging knowledge and experience amongst small projects holders thus enabling them to find solutions to improve their businesses.
The report highlighted two successful initiatives in Beirut notably Coworking 961 launched by Bader.  This initiative is located on Sursock Street and hosts a number of projects.  It provides youth with the opportunity to set up their own businesses which strengthens their productivity and professional capacity.  Other special initiatives which have spun out of the Forum are the Se77ati (My health) and Unusa (Femininity) websites which have become highly competitive on the net.  The founder of both sites, Elsa Aoun, noted that the Coworking 961 provided a big opportunity to the team and allowed them to grow and develop.  The second example is AltCity which is located in the Hamra district and hosts a number of youth pioneer talents including the Fade In project created by cinematography specialist Nadia Tabbara who produces films and writes scenarios and who noted that AltCity helped her realize her ambition not only through providing an ideal space but also through the support of the team from whom she learns a lot.
Source: Al-Hayat 17 November 2014

The international ICan network of CSOs organized its third regional forum last week in Turkey with the participation of women from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Palestine, Turkey, Iran, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.  The seminar focused on combating fundamentalism and militarism.  In covering the event, An Nahar newspaper failed to take notice of the contribution of the Lebanese participants saved for a fleeting mention of the impact of the Syrian displacement and the growing role of parties amidst dysfunctional state institutions and growing power of fundamentalist groups.
The newspaper covered however a number of contributions from other participants who spoke about what their countries were experiencing as a result of the outbreak of extremism and the growing support to ISIS particularly in Tajikistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Participants from Arab countries also spoke of the realities of their countries.  Libyan women in exile said that they were on the hit lists of the country that has two cabinets, two parliaments and several powerful militias.  One woman called for the intervention of the international community to stop the inflow of armed terrorists and to support the army and the police so that Libya does not turn into ISIS-land.  Tunisian women also called for support to their army whereas Egyptian women complained from detentions currently taking place, according to an anonymous speaker who feared being detained herself.   Similar positions came from Gaza who continues to suffer from Israeli aggressions and their devastating impacts, as well as similarly as in the case of Tajikistan and Pakistan, from growing support to extremist parties.  According to Syrian participants, women are paying the price of violence and war as they become widows or lose their children or are subject to rape or prostitution to feed their children.  According to the newspaper, and despite the growing action of women in Syria, participants from that country chose to focus on immediate needs, thus giving the impression that their role is limited to humanitarian assistance and that they lack any political vision of the future.
Source: Al-Nahar 18 November 2014