Resource center

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UNRISD was established in 1963 as an autonomous space within the UN system for the conduct of policy-relevant, cutting-edge research on social development that is pertinent to the work of the United Nations Secretariat; regional commissions and specialized agencies; and national institutions.
The UNRISD mission is to generate knowledge and articulate policy alternatives on contemporary development issues, thereby contributing to the broader goals of the UN system of reducing poverty and inequality, advancing well-being and rights, and creating more democratic and just societies.

Project webpage: Project summary in a portal covering the news of the project WEPASS, by NCLW (National Commission for Lebanese Women). The project aims to empower Lebanese women. Its activities address 'women empowerment' on the personal, social, political and economic levels.

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The Permanent Arab Court To Resist Violence Against Women is a symbolic popular court that aims at fighting all forms of violence practiced against women in Arab societies.
The Court was established by a group of Arab NGOs and distinguished personalities gathered in Rabat , Morocco on 30th November and 1st December 1996. The main purpose of the Court is to put an end to the intensifying and multifaceted violence against women. This need has become obviously clear by a public hearing on violence against women that was held in Beirut in June 1995, and was the first of its kind in the Arab world.

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Tradeswomen, Inc., California's first organization for women in the trades, was founded in 1979 as a grass- roots support organization. We build community among the growing numbers of women in blue collar, skilled craft jobs.

Tradeswomen, Inc. has three goals:

Recruit more women into building and construction trades.
Promote retention of women in the trades
Develop tradeswomen's capacityfor leadership and career growth, on the job and in their unions

Organisation Website :
"Ameen s.a.l. has been a major player in the Lebanese Microfinance sector since 1999. Originally, a micro-credit program created by CHF International, Ameen evolved to become Ameen s.a.l in 2003, a Lebanese services company. In 2007, Ameen s.a.l. registered with the Central Bank of Lebanon under Number 49, to become the first Lebanese financial institution specialized in Microfinance. "

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The Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) is a regional network working in 10 Arab countries with seven national networks and 23 NGO members. ANND was initiated in 1997 and had its secretariat office in Beirut since 2000.

Organisation website:
Association profile available in 2 languages. ( English, and Arabic). In brief: " Emkan is a Lebanese non-governmental organization (NGO) which provides microfinance services for the economically active poor in Lebanon. Emkan was registered as a local association with the Lebanese Ministry of Interior in February 2008 by the Hariri Group, and began its lending operations in July 2009. In addition to providing microfinance services, Emkan also engages in community development activities through the implementation of sustainable economic development projects and programs."

Project webpage:
In 1996, Lebanon ratified, with reservations, an international covenant regarding women's rights known as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. This Convention sets out, in a comprehensive, legally binding form, internationally accepted principles on the rights of women. It further commits States Parties to take all appropriate measures, to ensure the full development and advancement of women and to guarantee them the enjoyment of the fundamental rights and freedoms to which they are entitled, on a basis of equality with men. Moreover, the Convention requires that Governments work to eliminate discrimination against women in public life as well as in private life. Indeed, according to the Convention, women must be as free as men to make choices not only in political and legal sphere, but also in such areas as marriage, the home and family life in general.

To implement women's rights, as stated in the Convention, the establishment of official and non-governmental monitoring mechanisms (national and international) helps ensure that goals are being reached and that legal rights and duties of women are recognized, understood and enforced.

The Lebanese government submitted, in 1999, its initial report regarding the progress made on the implementation of the Convention in its country, to the international monitoring treaty body known as the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against women (CEDAW Committee). Non-governmental organizations are also encouraged to submit a parallel report in conformity with the guidelines set by the CEDAW Committee.

In this respect, the Lebanese NGO Forum, an umbrella organization of various NGOs distributed geographically throughout the Lebanese territory has set a permanent monitoring mechanism entitled Women's Rights Monitor.

This project aims at helping NGOs monitor women's rights and implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in Lebanon by establishing a platform for co-ordination that will, at the national and regional levels:

- Provide information about the Convention and the CEDAW Committee

- Provide guidelines in view of helping NGOs to write their report to the CEDAW Committee

- Establish a set of baseline data regarding women's rights in Lebanon in accordance with the guidelines of the CEDAW

- Elaborate a permanent report regarding women's situation in Lebanon, based on the compiled data

- Establish a bibliography on the subject of women's rights and facilitate the exchange of information and documentation

- Provide a mailing list of participating NGOs

Organisation website:
The Center for Women's Business Research provides data-driven knowledge that advances the economic, social and political impact of women business owners and their enterprises. This data driven knowledge provides the business imperative for embracing women business owners as customers, suppliers, community leaders, public policy influencers and role models for business leadership.

Organisation website:
Association profile available in 3 languages ( English, Arabic and French); in brief "Association Najdeh was founded in 1976 by a group of independent Lebanese women and men to secure immediate income to Palestinian refugee women who became the main breadwinner of their families after being displaced from Tel-Za'atar camp. Najdeh's mission is to empower women and children, the most disadvantaged elements of the refugee community, with the tools necessary to a more-participatory role in their community economically, socially and educationally in order to contribute concretely to the development of the overall Palestinian refugee community in Lebanon. Najdeh provides a core program of social, psychological, educational, economic, and advocacy. "