News updates

The School of Tourism and Hotel Management at the Lebanese University organized a seminar on promoting sustainable tourism in Bkaseen, in the Jezzine area and that within the framework of the ‘Highland’ project funded by the EU. The event was held at the University’s Central Administration under the patronage of LU President Dr. Adnan Sayyid Hussein. Head of the Master Section at the School, Dr. Ghada Salem outlined the objective of the project which aims at encouraging the use of technology in enhancing the natural and cultural landmarks within tourist areas and thus contribute to the process of sustainable development. Dr. Hussein said the purpose of the undertaking this initiative is not only to train students, but also to profile Lebanon as a nation as well as its nature. He hoped that similar initiatives can be replicated in other parts of the country for wider impact. For his part, engineer Ali Khreis aided by graphics and charts explained the project’s goals and achievements and the needed future complementary steps. To close, students Hiba Aridi, Samah Jaafar, Rasha Khatib and Deyou Asaad gave a detailed presentation of the project. (An Nahar, 31 July 2015)

The project for the Revival and Rehabilitation of the Milk Sector in the Bekaa and Hermel-Akkar was concluded yesterday in the presence of General Director of Agriculture Ministry Louis Lahoud representing Minister Akram Chehayeb. Lauding the success of the initiative, Lahoud noted its key accomplishments, mainly, ensuring a raise in the price and quality of the produced milk and a parallel decline by 85% in the level of milk return by dairy products companies for low quality. Lahoud went on to say that since its inception in 2009, the project achieved a high level of competence which brought about a significant leap in the sector during a relatively short period of time. This, Lahoud underlined, has motivated involved authorities to extend the terms of the project for two additional years so as to allow it to further extend the size of its beneficiaries. Lahoud summarized the specific achievements of the project as follows: 1) Scope of work: The project has targeted over two thirds of the Lebanese territory, covering nearly 80-85% of the total number of milking cows. 2)  Beneficiaries: It has targeted small dairy farmers to ensure thee development of their enterprises, noting that 78% of the total 3750 dairy farmers in Lebanon come from poor or extremely poor communities. 3)  Role of rural women: Particular attention was given to women who constitute about 17% of the total dairy farmers. This has enabled the project to support some 350 households whose breadwinners are women, through the provision of small and medium processing tools. 4)  Development of cooperatives: The project led to the setting up of 32 dairy product cooperatives run by over 300 farmers. 5) Capacity building: the project trained some 2000 dairy farmers in various areas such as adherence to hygiene in the processing of milk, raising awareness about nutrition factors of milk production, in addition to the printing and distribution of some 20000 guidebooks and educational posters. (Al Mustaqbal, 30 July 2015)

The Labor Minister Sajaan Azzi headed yesterday a meeting for the national steering committee following up the conditions of migrant domestic workers in Lebanon in the presence of representatives from official departments concerned, the International Labor Organization and civil society organizations. Azzi pointed out to his Ministry’s efforts to improve conditions of those workers and combat human trafficking or child labor which he alleged was acclaimed both inside and outside Lebanon. In the same vein, Azzi welcomed the recent establishment of Protecting Lebanese Family Association urging it to coordinate with other groups defending the rights of  MWDWs whom he described as ‘maids’ (for full news please refer to the previous news: Welcome to the “Association of Women Against Migrant Women Domestic Workers”). The Labor Minister said he was surprised that the 24/24 hotline the Ministry launched to receive complaints from MWDWs did not get any calls so far. At the end of the meeting, the ILO was asked to submit a proposal on a new labor recruitment system that will replace the ‘Kafala’ sponsorship system. Azzi revealed that he has sent earlier similar requests to civil society associations without obtaining any reply. Finally, participants in the meeting agreed to impose strict conditions to ensure decent working environment before the issuance of new work permits for foreign workers. (Al Mustaqbal, 30 July 2015)

Wheat farming in the Beqaa recorded an acute drop in production this year in the wake of the frost storms that hit the area early last May. In normal conditions, yearly wheat growing in the Beqaa stands at nearly 95 thousand acres of land with a production level varying between 60 to 70 thousand tons per year. However, production this season is not expected to exceed 30% of normal harvest i.e. only 25 thousand tons. Normally, the overall production of wheat in the Baalbek-Hermel, the rest of the Beqaa, Akkar and Marjeyoon barely covers 10% of the domestic market demand estimated at 440 thousand tons every year, with domestic consumption relying largely on import from Russia, Australia and the United States. Wheat farmers two days ago carried out visits Beqaa MPs to mobilize their support in requesting the minister of economy to speed up the collection and financial settlement of this year wheat harvest. They urged Prime Minister Salam to raise that issue during the forthcoming cabinet meeting and as well as issues of fair prices and compensations to farmers for losses. It is also to be noted that about 40% of people in the Beqaa depend for livelihoods on agriculture. According to the head of whet farmers union, Khaled Shuman, there exist also other problems confronting farmers, among which is the issue of categorization of production according to quality standards, and their inability to cover the cost of storage. As a result of the latter factor farmers are often forced to leave a large part of their harvest in the fields at the risk of being spoiled or burned. (Al Diyar, As Safir, 28 & 29 July 2015)

The Makassed University in Beirut organized a commencement event for graduates from its nursing, health sciences and Islamic studies programs. The event was attended by the representative of the Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Amin el Kurdi, as well as the Mufti for Zahleh and the Bekaa, Sheikh Khalil el Meiss. The president of the Makassed Association, Amin al Daouk, referred to a quote by the Mufti of the Republic who had said earlier that there is a serious need to revise higher Islamic studies as well as Islamic education in schools.  He hoped that such a process will be successful as Lebanon is in dire need of a reformist mentality to counter extremism and fundamentalism.  For his part Daouk hoped that the infrastructure of the administration of higher education will be put in place so that it can undertake the much needed quality control as well as oversee the necessary certification. Daouk further added that institutions need to step in line with the global trends of the job market and the quality requirements in higher education both in scientific and humanities divisions. The event was concluded by the distribution of certificates followed by nursing and health students reciting their professional oath. (Al Mustaqbal, 28 July 2015)

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned Lebanon of the imminent dangers threatening its economy, social fabric, financial sustainability and public debt should conditions continue to deteriorate. In a report published, the IMF stated that the decline in oil prices has caused a temporary relief in Lebanon’s public finance, noting that while the interdependence between the State and the banking sector has normally been a source of strength, the economy however remains highly dependent on the continuous inflow of deposits and thus sensitive to any weakening in confidence. The report indicated that while the growth of deposits has retreated during the past few years, the level continues at a good average of between 7 and 8%, thus enabling the country to cover general as well as foreign funding needs while preserving the high rate of foreign currency reserve. The report also highlighted two priority areas: the first, is the passing of the 2015 general budget, and second is addressing the problem of the electricity sector. The IMF report anticipated that the privatization of the Beirut Stock Exchange might very well help in expanding financial markets by way of encouraging young companies to enter the shares market. Furthermore, the IMF report noted that structural reforms remain vital to enhance economic growth potentials in Lebanon, stressing the need to tackle various pressing legislative files in order to attract investments. These include the passing of the special oil tax law, various other legislations related to oil and gas exploration, the framework law related to partnership between private and public sectors. (Al Mustaqbal, 21 July 2015)

The seventh annual fair showcasing the projects of engineering students in the north echoed the unfavorable labor market situation in Lebanon thus calling for urgent actions to shift higher education to alternative specialties that could have better prospects for employment. The yearly exhibition was organized by the Order of Engineers and Architects in Tripoli under the patronage of the Minister of Labor, Sajaan Azzi. Azzi noted the presence of some 47 thousand engineers in the country with only some 8 thousand of those actually employed within Lebanon and much outside the country. Azzi estimated that some 35 thousand engineers are fully or partially unemployed, adding that the same applies to lawyers, physicians and pharmacists. Finally the Labor Minister called for an end to the present situation where unemployment levels among university youth graduates are ranging high between 25% and 36%. (As Safir, 27 July 2015)

The US Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale met yesterday with Lebanese Economy Minister Dr. Alan Hakeem to discuss continued cooperation to boost American-Lebanese economic relations. The main focus of discussions was the resuming of the US Generalized System of Preferences GSP program which aims at strengthening commercial ties and promoting economic growth and stability, by granting Lebanese products a competitive edge in the US market. The long-term program provides preferential duty-free entry of eligible Lebanese goods, and other 121 selected countries, to the United States markets. Despite the suspension of the program in 2013, the recent law reauthorized the introduction of the GSP through the year 2017, thus allowing the US Customs and Border Protection to refund duties paid on such products during the suspension period. According to Al Diyar daily, Lebanon can become a big beneficiary from the program with a possibility to export nearly 3500 products. Hakeem pointed out that the US will undertake a general review of all products and beneficiary countries this coming August adding that Lebanon must compete against more than 5000 products from 122 nations, which could possibly benefit from the GSP program. (As Safir, Al Diyar, 23 July 2015)

The Lebanon Industry Value Chain Development (LIVCD) project funded by the United States Agency for International Development USAID organized a press conference yesterday to highlight the achievements of the honey production sector in Lebanon. The event was held at the Lebanese University headquarters in Beirut in the presence of US Ambassador David Hale, the Lebanese Agriculture Minister Akram Chehayeb and a number of stakeholders involved in the beekeeping industry. According to As Safir newspaper, the outcomes of the project during the past two years showed an increase of 52% in the size of exports, which rose form 26 tons to 50 tons in 2014. With the start of the project in 2013, the number of beekeepers jumped by 794 (14%) accompanied with an upsurge in the value of honey production and processing estimated at USD 11 million annually. The newspaper pointed out that the program has modernized the practices of some 1728 local beekeepers in more than 70 villages across the country through providing them with equipment, innovative technology, training and technical assistance. Beneficiaries also profited from the 5% reduction in production cost and a rise in the value of sales. Over and above, the program assisted some 642 beekeepers in increasing their production though investments made in 3825 beehives in various towns and villages in the South, North, Bekaa and Mount Lebanon. Since its beginning LIVCD is estimated to have invested about USD 1.1 million in the beekeeping sector leading to remarkable results as such: 794 new beekeepers, 79870 new beehives and an additional 560 tons of honey with an estimated value of USD 11 million. One beekeeper, Hussin Kadmani, urged public officials to address the basic demands of beehive keepers by providing pest control drugs and transforming the pilot queen breeding units established by USAID into permanent centers. (As Safir, 23 July 2015)