News updates

The Center for Employment Promotion and Social Protection for Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon organized last November 26 a seminar entitled “Five Years after the Amendment of the Labor and Social Security Law in 2010: Text and Reality’ which criticized the non-implementation of the new law amendments that also contained a number of contradictory clauses. Former Ambassador Samir Khury, chair of the center, pointed out that modifications introduced by the Parliamentary Administration and Justice Committee back in 2010 on the social security and labor laws in terms of the treatment of Palestinian refugees legally residing in the country on par with the Lebanese citizen as per the emergency of work and end of service compensation were inconsistent and not up to expectations. He added that the necessary implementation decrees were never passed by the cabinet. Furthermore, he noted that Palestinians are still the subject of discrimination by laws regulating the self-employed professions where some sectors still ban non-Lebanese residents from practicing such professions. He also criticized the discriminatory nature of social security law by virtue of which Palestinians are required to pay the equivalent of 23% of their salaries, yet they are only eligible to benefit from the end of service indemnity. At the end of the seminar, participants reiterated the demands for the full recognition of rights guaranteed to Palestinians under international laws and those conventions signed by Lebanon. (Daily Star, November 27, 2015)

 

Quoting World Bank sources, Al Hayat daily reported in a feature published last week that nearly 70% of the Lebanese population earn less than USD10 thousand a year or USD 833 a month, which is low compared to the relatively high cost of living standards of the country at large. The newspapers revealed that in light of low wages, citizens are forced to look for additional sources of income by taking a second or sometimes a third job and working over 16 hours a day to secure their minimum income to cover family needs. Al Hayat went on to say that such difficult work conditions are not limited to certain segments of society but affect the skilled professionals and similarly to unskilled laborers. It concluded by saying that the present situation has become intolerable amidst stagnating levels of income, generally, while families face steady increases in their level of spending as a result of upward trend in prices. (Al Hayat, November 26, 2015)

 

The Council of Ministers’ General Secretariat issued new directives last week to refrain from collecting the present year’s wheat harvest and to replace the yearly government procurement price which was fixed at around LBP590 per kg for five years with a lump sum compensation of LBP175 thousand for each dunum,. According to this new policy crop farmers are expected to market their stocked production on their own. As for next year, he General Directorate of Cereals and Sugar Beets at the Ministry of Economy, reportedly announced that it will start receiving submissions from farmers who wish to benefit from the state’s subsidy program for growing wheat and barley as of December 16, 2015 and until February 6, 2016. Meanwhile, wheat farmers are still awaiting the implementation of Finance Minister’s recent approval authorizing the Ministry of Economy to pay their entitlements for the current years and which total value is estimated at LBP23 billion and 800 million. In this respect, a number of farmers said they wished that the government took delivery of their crop harvest rather then pay a meager compensation while expecting them to market the entire harvest. They pointed out that huge stockpiles of wheat remain in warehouses in what seems to be a heated struggle with mill owners over prices amidst a global decline to a benchmark of USD210 per one ton. Owners of mills are refusing to buy hard wheat even at low price levels such as LBP330 per one kg. (An Nahar, November 27, 2015)

 

The Economic Empowerment and Community Mobilization for Women Affected by the Syrian Crisis Project which is implemented by UN Women, in partnership with the Lebanese Social Affairs Ministry and in collaboration with Safadi Foundation and the Fair Trade Lebanon, organized last Saturday a handcraft and artisan exhibition in the town of Khreibit Jundi, Akkar, in the presence of the representative of Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas and Akkar Governor Imad Labaki and a number of local community figures. The head of the Economic Empowerment Section at the UNDP Women Regional Office, May Babker, pointed out that the program comes in the framework of a wider regional initiative in five Arab states aimed at realizing economic empowerment of women providers and promoting ways to protect them from exploitation and all forms of violence, while giving them the chance to effectively contribute to rebuilding the economic development of their local communities. (Al Mustaqbal, November 29, 2015)

 

The League for Lebanese Women’s Rights celebrated last Wednesday the anniversary of its establishment at the Russian Cultural Centre.  The event was attended by representatives of women and cultural organisations.  LLWR member Khadija Karaouni noted in her speech that the main goal of the League is to struggle for social justice and for equal citizenship.  LLWR president, Azza Horr Mrooeh, spoke about true independence, the repercussions of the current political and confessional system, the present social and economic crisis and the recent reemergence of the popular protest movement.  At the level of women’s rights, Mrooeh added that stark discrimination remains in the nationality laws, the penal code, family laws and some clauses of the newly passed law to protect women from family violence.  Mrooeh concluded by highlighting the establishment of a new grouping of women organisations in a step which reflects women’s active participation in the popular protest movement and of which LLWR is member.  She hoped that this new grouping will further develop and mainstream into the popular movement for freedom, democracy and equality. (Al Mustakbal, 27 October 2015)

 

Bayt.com published a new report entitled “Main jobs for women in the Middle East: Expectations and Realities”.  The report was issued in collaboration with "YouGov" global market research and “Education for Employment Foundation” and follows on the statement made by Organisation for Economic Co-operation, which reiterated that only 1 in 3 women in the Middle East are gainfully employed.  The report highlights the main concerns of MENA women wishing to enter the job market and the realities they face.  According to the report, 44% of young women seeking full-time employment in the Middle East expect to encounter more difficulties than men.  The report further highlights the role of personal relations in obtaining jobs as 32% of the women employees in the Middle East noted that the fact that they had inside connections facilitated their access to their first jobs.  Also according to the study, 80% of young women, and 70% of employers support policies that stimulate women’s employment.  Employers added that women contribute to the growth and development of their companies through leadership and loyalty (18%), increasing productivity (11%). (For full report: http://bit.ly/1Ief727)  (As Safir, Al Moudtakbal, and Al Hayat, 27/11/2015)

 

Safadi Foundation began last Wednesday the implementation of a legumes and fruits drying training initiative with small farmers.  This move follows the setting up of a drying unit within the framework of the project entitled “using local resources to develop the rural economy in Akkar”.  The project is implemented with Spanish NGO AIDA and is funded by the EU AFKAR III initiative which is managed by OMSAR.  Some 30 small farmers from various parts of Akkar participated in the training which was organised at the Safadi Agricultural Development Centre, located in Deir Dalloom in Akkar. (As Safir, 26 November 2015)

 

Within the framework of its AGROPLUS programme, and in collaboration with Bureau Veritas Lebanon, IDAL organized yesterday a workshop on managing food safety systems, at the Chamber of Trade, Industry and Agriculture in Tripoli.  The event was attended by a number of exporters and packagers in the area.  During the workshop, the head of the Bureau Veritas bureau in Lebanon, Joseph Shetta, emphasized the importance of food safety regulations at the level of agricultural products.  He noted that this is a comprehensive chain that requires meticulous monitoring at each stage and so that to enhance the competitiveness of local exported products.  The President of the Chamber, Tufic Dabbussi, stressed for his part the importance of food safety at the level of consumption both locally and for exported goods.  He added that the Chamber follows up on matters concerning farmers, exporters as well as industrialists so as to strengthen the development process.  In conclusion, economist expert at IDAL, Abbas Ramadan, said that Lebanese agricultural exports have been able to make a breakthrough in several new and non-traditional markets and score accrued increases during the past year and that is because of the application of quality standards by both producers and exporters and through the monitoring of companies commissioned by IDAL. (Al Mustaqbal and Al Diyar, 27 November 2015)

 

With the support from the USAID-funded Industry Value Chain Development Project (LIVCD), some 20 rural women cooperatives from various parts of the country participated in the Beirut Cooking Festival which was held between November 12 and 14 and the within “Atayeb Lubnaniya” exhibition stand. The participating women cooperatives showcased their diverse products and took part in the daily cooking events on the sideline of the festival boasting traditional local recipes. The USAID supported project, it should be noted, aims at assisting cooperatives in developing their capacities through improving their production processes, upgrading the quality of products and developing their marketing channels. The LIVCD head Jane Gleason described the festival as a great opportunity for small groups of producers to showcase their cooking delights, expand their markets and increase their income. (Daily Star, November 25 2015)