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The Apparatus for Activating the Role of Women in Society at the Lebanese Forces (LF), organized a conference under the heading, ‘Together for fairer laws’ with the participation of some 18 women organizations namely, The National Commission of Women, Abaad, Kafa Enough Violence and Exploitation, the Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering, the Lebanese Council of Women, Women on the Front Lines, Loubnaniyoun association, the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections, UNDP, YWCA, the National Democratic Institute, Fe-Male, the National Committee for the Follow-Up of Women’s Issues, Justice Without Borders, Ghadan Lubnan, Smart Center for Media and Advocacy, UNFPA and the Lebanese Council to Resist Violence Against Women. On the occasion, MP Elie Kayruz, pointed out that the LF concern about women’s issues is building momentum with the support of its president, Samir Geagea, and all LF deputies. In terms of legislation, Kayruz suggested reviewing the Lebanese Penal Code which contains texts that substantiate and condone discrimination and inequality. For her part, the head of the LF Apparatus, Lawyer Maya Zighrini, underlined the roles political parties should play to help change the unjust reality for women. Along with the majority of components of the Lebanese Parliament are representative of the different political parties, Zighrini urged MPs to closely cooperate in order to adjust, develop and amend or sometimes abolish laws or articles that are discriminatory against women. Women, members or non-members of political parties, suffer in the same way and share the same goals and aspirations, Zighrini said. “And if we really want to realize these aspirations, it is not enough to invent catchy slogans or stage protests and release statements. What is needed is serious work, solidarity, perseverance and follow up at the different levels,” Zighrini maintained. When the LF Party adopts women’s causes, it can, in the end, not only propose amendments, but also participate in leading the campaigns to put them into effect, Zighrini concluded.  (Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, January 5, 2017)

 

Prime Minister Saad Hariri expressed regret over the underepresentation of women in political life, blaming this on the culture of political parties. Hariri, who was speaking on Tuesday to a delegation of the Women in Parliament Coalition in the presence of the newly appointed minister of state for women’s affairs, Jean Ogassapian, stated that he shall not partake in elections that do not support women’s representation quota. And while pointing to laws that are discriminatory against women, Hariri pledged to talk to all parties concerned to include a women’s quota in the upcoming elections. This matter was not given due consideration in the recent ministerial statement. Hariri also mentioned that House Speaker Nabih Berri is with him all the way in this respect. For her part, former minister, Wafaa Diqa Hamzeh, presented to PM Hariri a petition of the demands of the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW), while drawing attention to repeated disappointments and challenges in boosting women’s political role. Among the demands raised by NCLW were: endorsement of the electoral law as a first step; inclusion of women’s quota of no less than 30% in the projected law, and participation in committees to draft elections laws. Ogassapian, on the other hand, reiterated his support to the new women affairs’ portfolio with an allocated budget. He said that work will be carried out on three levels: 1) to abolish discriminatory texts against women from all prevailing laws; 2) developing and promoting a culture of equality through the media and education, in partnership with civil society, and lastly, 3) empowerment and building the capacities of women. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Hayat, January 4, 2016)

 

A number of Arab Gulf countries, notably, Saudi Arabia, are now working to increase the contribution of women in the local labor force, according to the director of the International Studies Program at Dirasat Center – Al Manama, Omar Obeidli, who added that advanced economies are distinguished by a high representation of women. Obeidli, quoted in an article published by Al Hayat newspaper on Friday, considered that an active economy utilizes all resources at hand, with women in the forefront, as men, Obeidli mentioned, still retain the lion’s share in the labor market. When designing strategies that promote the role of women in economy, Obeidli said, “one should keep in mind a noteworthy phenomenon that has developed in the United States during the past 20 years which is the decline in the participation of women in the labor force, and therefore should take preemptive measures to avoid being tripped into the same situation.” Obeidli cited the Japanese economic researcher, Su Kubota, in his paper ‘The cost of childcare drives women out of the U.S. workforce’, who attributed the gradual withdrawal in women participation in the labor force to the prohibitive costs of daycare services and private nannies. Back to the Arab Gulf region, Obeidli explained that one of the main hurdles to parents’ access to the labor market are considerations related to childcare. He noted that while a considerable number of families benefit from migrant women domestic workers in this regard, yet, this solution does not suit all people. Foreign ddomestic workers, he argued, are not qualified professionally for the job of caring for children while the costs of specialized daycare centers remain high. He advised Arab governments to endorse new policies based on discussions between all stakeholders, which could support affordable childcare services to women.  What is needed, Obeidli concluded, is a comprehensive interventions by governments to facilitate access and costs of childcare.  (Al Hayat, December 30, 2016)

 

Lebanese student, Diala Masri, has won the Rhodes scholarship from Oxford University, Britain, in a historic launch for the region. The Rhodes Scholarship is awarded annually to high achiever students from all over the world to complete their studies and has opened its doors for the first time to students coming from Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan, noting that the other two lucky persons are Hisham Abu Shamma and Nur Arafa from Palestine.  Masri holds a Bachelors of Art with distinction in International Affairs from the Lebanese American University in 2014 and has received the Torch Awards and a master’s degree in policy economics through a Fulbright scholarship from Williams College. She was a laureate of the Harvard World Model United Nations and won the Diplomacy Award in New York in 2012. Currently, Masri is working as a research assistant in economics at Williams. She seeks to shape economic policies in the Middle East to help overcome obstacles to growth. (L’Orient Le Jour, December 30, 2016)

 

In cooperation with Makhzumi Foundation and the Italian Armadilla Association, the Center of Azza and Irki for Sports, Environment and Social Development in Zaharani, the South, distributed yesterday certificates to women participants who completed a 2-year environmental crafts sessions. The workshops, organized by the municipalities of the towns of Azza and Irki, came as part of the ‘Improvement of Environment for the Promotion of Sustainable Development and Comprehensive Growth’ project funded by the European Union. The beneficiaries had the chance to acquire needed skills and technical aptitudes for crafting, as well as, raise their environmental awareness, particularly on minimizing, upcycling and recycling of waste. In addition, participants were trained on how to explore economic prospects of their artisanal activity, through the setting up of individual business, which will promote social and economic empowerment, and therefore, independence and self-reliance of women. (Al Diyar, December 29, 2016)

 

As Safir daily highlighted in its Saturday edition the growing of white onions in the southern town of Kfarfila, Nabatieh, which has flourished extensively thanks to local women. This kind of farming, As Safir wrote, which does not necessitate special care or funds, has become known across the Lebanese regions as a Kfarfila product. In addition to onion growing, the newspaper said, Kfarfila women are also skillful in threading or stringing onion plants which provides them with an additional income that partly covers their yearly expenses. But, according to As Safir, despite the efforts of women of Kfarfila, concerned agricultural associations are almost absent in the town and its environs. The price of one kilogram of onions, As Safir said, varies between LBP 3000 to 4000, while a string of onion is sold at LBP 20 thousand. And despite the cheaper prices of imported onions which are bounteous at most vegetable stores, they fail to compete with the exclusive products of Kfarfila, As Safir cited some customers as saying. (As Safir, December 23, 2016)

 

In collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the ministry of industry organized yesterday a food tasting gathering at “Creative Lebanon Center” in Gemmayzeh, Beirut in the presence of the ministry’s director general, Dany Gedeon and UNIDO project coordinator, Nada Barakat. It should be noted that ‘Creative Lebanon’ boutique was inaugurated in July, 2016, to help small and medium-scale producers in showcasing their innovative products and establishing closer links with the local markets. The boutique is a joint venture between the ‘Development of Clusters in Cultural and Creative Industries in the Southern Mediterranean’ project funded by the EU, and the Italian Government within the framework of Supporting Host Communities in Lebanon Affected by the High Influx of Syrian Refugees, known as CELEP-III. (Al Diyar, December 28, 2016)

 

The Italian Battalion in the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) organized recently a craft fair at its headquarters in the town of Shamaa, Tyre district, where a number of community organizations active in the area showcased products made by local residents. The event allowed the UNIFIL officers and soldiers to taste or buy from the assortment of displayed delicacies or handicraft items. On the occasion, the Sector West Commander pointed out that the initiative comes within the framework of the implementation of UN Resolution No. 1701 stipulating provision of assistance to local people. It also presents an opportunity to familiarize Italian troops with the community’s heritage and traditions, he added. (Al Mustaqbal, December 24, 2016)

 

In a special feature on Saturday, As Safir newspaper shed light on the craft of embroidery acquired by Palestinian women which features three main colors: beige, brown and burgundy and that became symbolic of an entire people forcedly expelled from its homeland. As Safir spoke to a number of women to get more insight on this deep-rooted side of their daily life. Jamila, for example, said that women in the past used to wear dresses embellished with embroidered drawings distinctive of their town of origin. Al-Khalil (Hebron), Jamila boasted, is famed for the extensive embroidery colors, Jerusalem for the big rose and Gaza for the cypress tree. The embroidered dresses are closely linked to age-old traditions of Palestine, Jamila said. While married women wore dark red and burgundy cross-stitched outfits, single women dressed in fiery red leaving the blue for their divorced or widow peers, Jamily added. Many Palestinian women have turned the craft of embroidery into a career, according to Burj Al Barajneh women residents. Wafaa, a mother of five, is one of them. Wafaa told As Safir reporter that, despite the modest pay she receives in exchange for her work, she practiced embroidery to support her husband in meeting household expenses. On this subject, the president of the Jaffa Cultural Heritage Project at Mar Elias Palestinian Refugee Camp, Imad Mukhtar, pointed out that the cost of raw material, threads and fabrics, as well as the cost of participation in exhibitions, is relatively high. The distribution of expenses among women workers and designers, Mukhtar said, makes it hard to increase their wages, given the harsh economic situation and the decline of demand on handicrafts. He also mentioned that the suffering of Palestinians in Lebanon narrows down the prospects of jobs and careers they aspire to get. “The only choice left for us is to stand by our identity through the preservation of heritage, at any cost”, while confronting Israel’s persistent attempts to appropriate Palestinian heritage, Mukhtar concluded. (As Safir, December 24, 2016)

 

 

In cooperation with the Municipality of Ay7ha, the Ministry of Social Affairs organized last week a series of training sessions on artisanal production aimed at empowering rural women through provision of skills on handmade crafts. The launch ceremony was held at the town’s public hall in the presence of over 90 women participants. The director of the “Promotion and Development of Crafts and Handicrafts” project, Hafez Ghattas Abu Lteif, underlined the importance of partnership between the Ministry and local municipalities in the initiation of local undertakings. Such schemes, he maintained, boost the steadfastness of rural people to their land through professional empowerment, and also support the preservation of the national heritage. Likewise, the deputy mayor of Ay7ha, Hafez Homus, stressed the municipality’s concern for the human and cultural development of the town’s residents. Women of Ay7ha, for their part, expressed their appreciation and acknowledgment for the Ministry, the coordinator of the program and the municipality for extending the opportunity of participation in similar workshops. Then, the beneficiaries kicked off the training which includes knitting and crochet, decoration of pots, gift boxes and chocolate making, painting on glass and artificial flower arrangement. (Al Mustaqbal, December 24, 2016)