News

My Nationality is a Right for me and Family Campaign was dismayed by the outcome of the Ministerial Commission entrusted with the task of reviewing the current discriminatory nationality law and proposing scenarios for its reform.  In its recommendation to the Prime Minister dated 14 January 2013, the Commissions notes that women’s right to transmit nationality to her family poses serious threats to the demographic and confessional balance of the country, and to the higher state interests.
The Constitution indicated that neither the Constitutional and international human rights conventions’ provisions for equality are in any way binding if the “implementation of equality will pose threat to higher national interests” thus setting a dangerous precedent for the systematic violation of women’s human and citizenship rights.
The Commission’s memorandum notes that the nationality law cannot be revised before the confessional system is abolished.  However, the Commission is oblivious of the fact that such acts contribute to the growing confessionalism in Lebanon.
My Nationality is a Right for me and my Family Campaign will be holding a press conference next week to reply in detail to the positions and recommendation of the special ministerial committee.

Source: Lebanon's Knowledge Development Gateway 16 January 2013

The president of the Green Party, Nada Zaarour, announced her candidacy for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Northern Metn.  Her candidacy was made public during an event which was organized yesterday to celebrate nine media people and celebrities which have contributed to supporting environmental issues as well as to unveiling cases of corruption and abuse of natural resources.  The event was attended by political, diplomatic and civil society figures and included a key note address by the general secretary of the party, Samir Skaff, who shared the party’s electoral agenda for 2013 namely: guaranteeing continued supply of electricity and water, the introduction of the health/medical card, confirming public employees in their posts and abolishing confessionalism.  The party will also aim at launching the “Green Taef”, adopting a decentralization system and supporting human rights.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal 17 January 2013

As Safir newspaper published a report on women’s work in rural areas in South Lebanon, notably in Kfarroumane, where women sell their traditional food products (Mooneh) in local shops as well as from home.  The report highlighted the stories of some of these women who produce pickled vegetables, dairy products, cured meat as well as other traditional food products.  Women are able to maintain their production despite difficult conditions namely the limited water resources, high costs and intensive labor required.  Agriculture in this area is also limited to non-arable harvest in view of the hot and dry climate.  Such harvests extend over a relatively short season.  Some quantity of local raw material also originates from the nearby Ma2thana plain which is rich in water. As a result of the limited local supply, women Mooneh producers have to resort to the wholesale markets in Nabatieh and beyond to secure the needed agricultural inputs noting that prices have recently gone up tremendously.

The report also noted the prices of the various products where the kilogram of Burgol is sold for 5000 L.L., Kishk for 20000 L.L., Thyme (Zaatar) for 35000 L.L., Freik for 10000 L.L., Pickled Eggplants for 10000 L.L., Pickled cucumbers and wild cucumbers for 5000 L.L., sumac for 7000 L.L., sesame for 10000 L.L., Labneh and cheese for 15000 L.L., mloukheye for 25000 L.L., okra for 30000 L.L., vine leaves for 5000 L.L.

Source: Al-Safir 16 January 2013

It should be noted that this report follows a series of coverage by As Safir on women’s work and invisible economic contributions in rural area. What follows is a list of those reports published earlier on the Women Economic Empowerment Portal:

• The olive oil harvest faces difficulties amidst a quasi absence of the government and the Ministry of Agriculture
• Women in Zgharta produce homemade “Mouneh” and secure additional income
• NOWARA on women in agriculture: Official statistics do not reflect the real size of women’s participation
• Agricultural Cooperatives in Koura suffer from unfavorable conditions
• Cooperative sector in Lebanon: between a bleak reality and shining examples
• Rural women and “Mooneh”/preserved food: Security for winter and extra income for Hasbaya rural women
   

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed yesterday between the Minister of Education, Mr. Hassan Diab KidProof association for the Middle East and North Africa represented by Maitre Darine Masri, and the Chair of the Board of BLOM bank Mr. Saad al Azhari heralding the launch of the Protected programme within the framework of an initiative to protect children from sexual abuse (c.f KidProof Safety: sexual harassment will become part of the educational curriculum on 22.09.2012, and Pedagogical workshop on protection of children from violence and harassment on 11.09.2012).  The programme is funded by BLOM and is implemented by the Ministry of Social Affairs.  The Centre for Educational Research Development had for its part adapted the curriculum to the local context of Lebanon taking into consideration the educational requirements as well as the overall spiritual, social and cultural values prevailing in the country.
Masri noted that the purpose of this programme is to mainstream the issues of physical and intellectual safety into the educational curriculum thus helping to protect children and reinforcing their self respect and their respect to others.  She reiterated that the programme will involve the production of educational material for all scholastic levels including parents’ and teachers’ handbooks as well as the implementation of a series of teachers’ training, both onsite and online and focusing on physical and personal safety, ethics, citizenship, online safety, physical and mental wellbeing.
Source: Al-Nahar 16 January 2013
 

A two day workshop will be held this week in Alexandria – Egypt to work on drafting a proposed law that will guarantee the rights of domestic migrant workers. The workshop is being conducted as part of a regional project to promote the rights of migrant domestic workers in the Arab countries, and in which Lebanon is participating with a delegation of 10 people.
This regional project is funded by the EU, extends for 3 years and was first implemented in 2010, in partnership with Amel Association in Lebanon, Jordanian Women’s Union in Jordan, and the Egyptian Women Issues Association in Egypt. The project will aim at providing legal protection for domestic workers, setting up working mechanisms for assisting the victims and helping them to return to their original countries. The activities of the project include organizing advocacy campaigns to criminalize the violations against domestic workers, the forming of regional and local networks bringing together those governmental and non-governmental organizations active in defending the rights of migrant domestic workers in the 3 targeted countries.
Source: Al-Nahar 15 January 2013
 

Al Nahar published a communiqué released by IDAL in which it shares its achievements in 2012 including the support extended to the agricultural and agro-processing sectors through its Agromap and Agriplus programmes in addition to its support to other investments projects and its provision of incentives and facilities through the one-stop-shop to issue licenses.  IDAL also indicated that it is continuing its efforts to strengthen a general institutional and legal environment that is conducive to business through attracting investments.

According to IDAL’s statistics, its Agriplus programme has succeeded in securing an increase in agricultural exports.  In the first ten months of 2012, Lebanon exported 368 thousand fruits and vegetables thus scoring an 8% increase from 2011.  IDAL also sponsored the agro-processing section of the Gulfood exhibition which was organized at the Dubai international trade centre, from 19 to 22 February 2012, as well as the Lebanese section of the international agro-processing exhibition SIAL which was held in France from 21 to 25 October 2012.  This was part of IDAL’s support to promoting and marketing Lebanese food products.

In this same communiqué, IDAL noted that it processed 35 requests for support through its one-stop-shop involving either the set up of new businesses or expanding existing business in the industry, hotel management and technology sectors.  IDAL perused these 35 requests carefully and selected 11 projects as having met the international standards of investments.  5 of these projects have now been implemented either fully or partially after securing the endorsement of the IDAL Board or the Council of Minister.  Two of these pertain to the Industrial Sector whilst two other relate to tourism and the last one pertained to the IT sector.  These 5 new projects have secured some 717 direct employment opportunities.

Source: Al-Nahar 14 January 2013

The May Chidiac Media Institute organized a meeting on the role of women in Lebanon especially in politics and in economic life as part of the institute’s programme to support the right of women.  The meeting was attended by French author Elisabeth Badinter, the ex Minister of Finance Rayya al Hassan, the director of the Institute of Political Sciences, Fadia Kiwan, the vice president of Fransabank, Rayya Raphael, activists and media consultant Asma Andraos in addition to Hala Fadel of the Technology Institute and Lamya Bsat of the Bassel Fleihan Finance Institute.  During the meeting, each participant shared her own experience as well as the legal and social challenges she faced in their career path and how these may have negatively affected their personal lives. Chidiac concluded the meeting by criticizing the limited representation of women and reiterated the commitment of her organization to women’s issues in Lebanon and the region through the organization of activities related to the impact of the Arab spring on women.

Source: Al-Mustaqbal 14 January 2013

Salma Jaber Wehbeh, the first director of the girls’ public school in Nabatyeh and daughter of historian Mohammed Jaber (also the granddaughter of Cheikh Ahmad Rida) was by the Association for the Advancement of Women during a public event which was held last week in Nabatyeh.  The head of the organisation, Selma Ali Ahmed, emphasized Wehbeh’s life as an activist and noted her early training at the teachers’ college in South Lebanon and her subsequent achievements in fighting for girls education in the South.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal 12 January 2013

Al-Akhbar newspaper published a report about an initiative seeking to enhance and improve the dairy production sector in the Bekaa valley and Hermel-Akkar.  According to the report, this initiative was not able to meet its pre-set goals although no specific reasons were mentioned.  The heads of the cooperatives involved in this initiative blamed the implementing partner’s management whilst the latter blame the cooperatives. as well as the . Dr. Shazli Kayyouli, for his part noted that 15 village centers were provided with the necessary equipment to collect, cool and store dairy products.  Ten more centres will also be equipped thus reaching the total cooling capacity to 80 tons per day. These centers, according to Kayyouli, will be monitored and managed by agricultural cooperatives which will be established for this sole purpose and will b subsequently with refrigerators in addition to various weighting and pumping tools in addition to electrical generators and laboratories.
However, and according to Fedaa Sassine, a dairy farm owner in east of Zahle, this plan was never really implemented.  Sassine notes the cooperative of Terbol is not currently operational because it was not equipped as initially planned in view of “cost and financial reasons”.  Ismail Al-Khatib, also a dairy farm owner, calls on the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Hajj Hassan to save the dairy sector and re-activate the cooperative. Dr. Kayyouli explains for his part that out of 20 centers initially targeted by the project in the Bekaa valley, only 13 are operational according to the project’s plan, whilst the remainder lack the necessary equipment.  Kayyouli also added that conflict arose amongst cooperative members thus leading to a halt in the process.
It should be noted that Ministry of Agriculture launched this project two years ago with funding from Lebanese Recovery Fund set up after the Stockholm conference of donors.  The project was implemented by FAO in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture following an in-depth study which identified the need to support dairy production and upgrade this sector. According Al Akhbar newspaper, the ministry also rehabilitated 9 cisterns used to the transportation of milk.  Eight of these were handed to dairy production cooperatives to be utilized on special terms.
Finally, Wafa Dikaa, the head of the National Observatory of Rural Women, noted that women’s contribution in the dairy sector represents 63%  (c.f. NOWARA on women in agriculture: Official statistics do not reflect the real size of women’s participation, published on 12-12-2012)

Source: Al-Akhbar 11 January 2013