News

The third stage of the Lebanese Excellence Award was launched yesterday during an event convened in the Adnan Kassar Building for Arab Economy under the auspices of the Minister of Economy and Trade, Nicolas Nahhas, representing the president of the Republic, General Michel Suleiman.

This award was set up by both the Ministry of State for Administrative Reform and the Ministry of Economy and Trade with the purpose of providing opportunities to organisations and public institutions, private sector companies, small and medium enterprises and CSOs to appreciate efforts exerted in improving administrative and management systems.

This third phase focuses on updating the Lebanese system for quality management and includes small, medium and large enterprises as well as civil society organizations.  The award includes three levels namely the Excellence Certificate targeting companies that have started their journeys towards excellence.  The subsequent Advanced Certificate is dedicated to companies that have made headways in their commitment to excellence whilst the Lebanese Excellence Award is dedicated to those companies that have completed the requirements of the Lebanese Excellence Award.

The UN Ambassador to Lebanon noted in her speech during the event that this award highlights the importance that civil society, women and men play in remote places by providing assistance to the most vulnerable communities.  She added that these people deserve to be recognized as important actors in strengthening the Lebanese society.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal, Al-Safir, Al-Nahar, Al-Diyar
 

SMART Centre concluded its project entitled “Women Advocates for Women’s Votes” during an event which honored members of the media who provided coverage to the project.  Certificates were presented to 41 campaign managers who completed the programme.
The project was launched in November 2012 and was implemented during a 9 months period with funding from the American Embassy small grants programme.  It was implemented in three Mohafazat namely South Lebanon, Mount Lebanon and the North.  Some 41 campaign managers received training programme which during its first stage, training in managing successful electoral campaign, while the stage two included a seminar on the important role of campaigns manager and the skills that they should master to enable their woman candidate to succeed in winning the elections and acceded to decision making posts.  Finally, the third stage consisted of a public political debate on the role of women in decision making.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal 8 July 2013
 

Child and Mother Welfare Society celebrated last week the graduation of 36 women and men students enrolled in its nursing and child care schools. The graduation was celebrated at the Hassana Daouk auditorium under the auspices of the National Office for Employment.  Ms. Siham Jbeili spoke on behalf of the organization and shared a brief of its achievements and activities. The Director General of the National Office of Employment, Mr. Jean Abi Fadel, emphasised the importance of collaboration with the association in order to provide the appropriate training to young women and men that will enable them to gain skills that will assist them in integrating the job market.  
Source: Al-Mustaqbal 6 July 2013

The Speaker of the House, Mr. Nabih Berry, called on the Parliamentary Commissions for finance and budget, administration and justice, foreign affairs, national defense, interior and municipalities, agriculture, tourism, higher education and culture, public health, labor, social affairs, economy and trade, industry, public works, women and child, and environment to a joint session on Monday July 22nd in order to discuss 9 law petitions, including:

• Law petition noted in decree 4116 aiming at the protection of women from violence
• Law petition noted in decree 7841 with goal to establish the Environmental Public Prosecution.
• Law petition noted in decree 8992 which seeks to obtain approval for additional funding to the cultural heritage and development project which is in partnership between the government of Lebanon and the World Bank  

Source: Al-Safir 6 July 2013

Kafa, (Enough Exploitation and Violence) launched yesterday, in collaboration with the National Coalition for a Law to Protect Women from Domestic Violence, their new Campaign entitled “I did not die but others have”.  The announcement of the Campaign was prompted by the Parliament’s failure to keep its promise to include the law petition to protect women from domestic violence in its agenda.  The press release read by Kafa’s director Zoya Rouhana noted that four years have passed since the Speaker of the House gave his inaugural address to the elected assembly in 2009 whereby he called for the promulgation of laws that would protect women from violence.  The mandate of the Parliament has now ended without the realization if that promise.  Rouhana added that the parliament is now leaving office without fulfilling its responsibility to protect women while pointing out to the fact that eight women were reportedly killed as a result of gender based violence during the past year.   This number, according to Rouhana, does not include women cases of killings by women’s immediate family members and who have gone unreported.  Rouhana concluded by saying “that it is now high time that parliament listens to the cries of women demanding protection”.
Source: Al-Nahar, Al-Safir, Al-Mustaqbal, Al-Akhbar 5 July 2013
 

The CEO of Beytech Digital Park, Mr. Maroun Chammas, announced yesterday the launch of three new investments on top of the previous investments of the group which now total 15, in addition to investing of USD 5 million in a building facility.  This announcement was made during a press conference held at the groups' headquarters in Bechara el Khoury under the auspices and with the presence of the Minister of Economy and Trade Nicolas Nahhas, and the Minister of Telecommunications Nicolas Sahnaoui.
Chammas noted that Berytech seeks to strengthen the digital economy as well as to help young people implement creative and sustainable projects.  He noted that the distinctive competence of Berytech is to follow through digital projects from the initial phase of framing an idea to developing it into a successful and sustainable company. For his part, Nahas noted that economic growth in Lebanon has not brought in sufficient employment opportunities for the youth, while average unemployment reaches 11% and this despite the fact that the education system in Lebanon produces a large number of highly skilled graduates.  Nahas also said that that his Ministry has paid special attention to intellectual property and thus e-service is now available for the first in Lebanon allowing anybody to register their trademark wherever they are.
Source: Al-Diyar, Al-Nahar 4 July 2013

In commemoration of International Day of Cooperatives, the head of the Western sector of the UNIFL Italian contingent, General Vasco Angelotti honored four women cooperatives from the villages of Qana, Bent jbeil, Deir Qanoun Ras al Ain and Hariss.  The action was held at the headquarters of the Italian contingent in Shamaa, Tyre and was organised to celebrate the achievements of UNIFIL vocational and craft development project.  Angelotti emphasized in his speech the importance of the role of women in the development the economy in South Lebanon as well as the livelihoods of local communities.  He highlighted the important role that the UNIFL is playing with the civilian population through this project which targets women and families of South Lebanon and which seeks to provide them with incentives to be active in civil society.  Following the speech the four honored women cooperatives received commemorative plates from UNIFIL.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal 03 July 2013
 

The Lebanese Electoral Assistance Project (LEAP)  of the UNDP convened a workshop on Electoral Laws and Women’s Political Participation that will held tomorrow as of 9:30 am at the Phoenicia Hotel under the auspices of the Minister of Interior and Municipalities Marwan Charbel.
The workshop includes a welcome address by the Minister of Interior followed by an address by the European Union Ambassador to Lebanon Angelina Eucharist and the Mr. Luca Renda, the UNDP Country Director.  The event will also be attended by some of the women who submitted their candidacy last month to the recently postponed parliamentary elections as well as representatives of Lebanese and foreign civil society organisations.
Source: Al-Nahar 2 July 2013