News updates

The Daily Star newspaper published a report about 19 year old Soha Awada who works as a waitress to afford her rental and living expenses while studying at the Lebanese Univrersity in Hadath. The report highlighted the difficult situation of students working in the restaurant business who face a tough struggle, as their work involves being on their feet for long periods of time, and leaving them with little time to study or do any other tasks. Awada noted that pay for student jobs in Lebanon is painfully low and do not match the high cost of living.  Also, these jobs are not student friendly since they require extended periods of time and students like Awada often fail. Awada also noted that even though she filled a form with her university to let the administration know she was a working student, a professor recently told her, “You can’t work. You’re not allowed.” Awada concluded by saying that education was the most important thing to her but right now, she cannot see the bright side.
Source: The Daily Star 30 October 2014

The third phase of the Community Empowerment and Livelihoods Enhancement Project (CELEP) implemented by UNIDO and the Italian Institute for Academic Collaboration with funding from the Italian Embassy was launched yesterday during an event held in Beirut under the auspices of the Ministries of Agriculture and Industry.  This new phase of the project aims at supporting the manufacturing capacities of small and medium enterprises and agricultural cooperatives (CELEP III) thus at increasing their competitiveness, improving the quality of production and increasing local and international sales.  This process will also result in creating new job opportunities and better development prospects.
The event included a display of the results of phases I and II, which showed that the project helped in improving the conditions of rural outfits especially in incentivizing women to work as 1700 persons benefited from training of whom, 500 are women.  The results also showed that 53 institutions and 17 cooperatives were supported during a 48 months period, where support included provision of construction work, new technology and equipment as 188 industrial equipments were donated in addition to rehabilitating 17 institutions. All these interventions have resulted in increasing the number of workers employed in these production enterprises.  A study on work opportunities was also carried out in August 2014 and showed that 3000 families have benefited from the project activities.  By the end of the event, representatives of the Ministries of Agriculture and Industry as well as UNIDO and the Italian Embassy gave a second presentation about the expected results and impact of the third phase of the project.  The event also included an exhibition of industrial goods produced by the beneficiaries of the first two phases of the project.
Source: Al-Safir, Al-Diyar, 30 October 2014

The names of the winning companies for the fourth edition of the Grow my Business event were announced yesterday during a Press Conference held at the Audi Bank. The competition was launched by the Association of Beirut Merchants in collaboration with MIT enterprise Forum for the Arab World as well as Audi Bank.  The General Manager of Audi Bank in Lebanon, Mark Audi, highlighted in his keynote address the importance of this competition in incentivizing and encouraging emerging companies in Lebanon which he considered to be a glimmer of hope for the national economy as well as an important element for progress.  The president of the Association of Beirut Merchants, Nicolas Shammas, noted that emerging companies are promising production units.  He also added that the purpose of this competition is to give small and medium companies an added value, to improve the standards of the sector and to contribute to a sustainable national economic growth.
Source: Al-Safir 30 October 2014

The Local Economic Development Agency (LEDA) in Baqaa organized in collaboration with the Federation of Jabal el Sheikh Municipalities, a seminar on organic farming which was held yesterday in Rashayya. The event included lectures by agronomist Tony Hajjar who spoke about the principles of organic farming and how to transform into it.  Hajjar considered that organic farming is an eco system to manage agricultural production and its main aim is to improve the health and productivity of communities which is linked with the life of the soil, vegetables, animals and human beings. Other speeches included a contribution by the municipal head of Ayn Atta and General Secretary of the Federation, Talee3 Khoder, the president of the Federation, Marwan Zaki, LEDA technical and operations director, Ali Abed el Kareem Abu Ali and LEDA-Beqaa Board Chair, Kamal Saikaly who spoke about LEDA’s current projects.
Source: Al-Diyar 30 October 2014

Lebanon is the world’s eighth worst country in terms of gender equality and ranks 135th of the total 142 surveyed countries on the 2014 Gender Gap Index (9th report by the World Economic Forum-- WEF). Although Lebanese women are often considered privileged compared to women in other Arab countries because of liberties they presumably enjoy, the report noted that they are far behind in terms of political participation with Lebanon ranking 141st out of 142 countries.  In addition to political empowerment, the WEF report ranking was based on three main categories for women: participation in the labor force and opportunities available, educational attainment, health care and survival rate. As such, Lebanon was the eighth worst country in the world in terms of women participation in the workforce, and ninth worst in terms of income for women. Lebanon did much better in terms of health coming 62nd on the list.  However, Lebanon’s score on education were disappointing as it ranked 103rd for literacy rate and 128th for primary school enrolment and that is despite the fact that female literacy rate in Lebanon is 86% and primary school enrolment is 90%!
Source: The Daily Star 29 October 2014

The Minister of Industry, Dr. Hussein Hajj Hassan, presided a joint meeting yesterday with representatives of the milk producing industry and the dairy processing industry.  The meeting aimed at discussing issues of concern to the sector especially following the refusal of milk producers to decrease their unit price of milk delivery as requested by dairy producers.  Hajj Hassan emphasized during the meeting, the high quality of Lebanese milk and added that participants in the meeting agreed that the Ministry of Economy should prepare data on the price trends of Labneh, cheeses and other dairy products in 2014, while the Ministry of Agriculture prepares a study on the production cost of milk.  He also noted that the current price of milk will remain unchanged until the next meeting of this committee set on 24 November and whilst awaiting the results of studies in order to make an informed decision.
Hajj Hassan furthermore declared that in addition to the above, a new measure will soon be adopted to ensure that all selling points on Lebanon will not offer milk or dairy products from sources that are not licensed by the Ministry of Industry and approved by the Ministry of Agriculture via a trademark.  The purpose, he explained, is to withhold further dumping of non-licensed products on the local market.
Source: Al-Diyar, Al-Mustaqbal 28 October 2014

In view of the numerous difficulties faced this year by the agricultural sector, especially in terms of hurdles faced in marketing, the Minister of Agriculture Akram Cheyeb reiterated yesterday his support to farmers to enable them to export to new markets.  The Minister noted that this endeavor will happen concomitantly with the work of the Ministry in trying to build the legal infrastructure for exporting, particularly through developing trade agreements with neighboring and other countries with which Lebanon share good relations.  Chehayeb also emphasized the importance that farmers commit themselves to high standards and quality needed to access new markers.
The Minister was speaking during a meeting with a delegation of horticulturalists headed by the President of their syndicate, Suleiman Samaha as well as the FAO representative, Maurice Saadeh. Chehayeb noted that the horticulture sector is a promising sector and may push farmers to start growing new products in demand of the international market.  The Minister also noted that he will be supporting this sector as much as public resources permit.

Source: Al-Nahar 28 October 2014

Within the framework of the project entitled “supporting the treasury of Municipalities” which aims at developing a strategic plan for local development of Lebanese towns and villages, the Capacity Building Component Team of the European Union signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoU) with the Federation of the Southern Iqlim al Kharroub Municipalities.  This is the second of such MoUs; the first was exchanged last week with the Federation of the Municipalities of the B7hamdun Highlands.  The head of the Capacity Building Component Team, Walter Van Damme, noted that this project which is implemented by the Technical Support team of the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities with EU funding, seeks to develop Municipalities.  He reiterated that the strategic plan will be based on two key elements, namely an accurate assessment of needs and capacities of municipalities, the needs of citizens while ensuring their support to the process.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal 27 October 2014

Within the framework of the training programme implemented by the women sector of the Future Movement, an event was organized last week to celebrate the graduation of 20 women who successfully completed a first aid course.  The course was implemented in collaboration of the Municipality of Mejdlaya, the Charitable Association of Mejdlaya, and the Directorate of Health and Social Services (DHSS) at the Rafic Hariri Foundation.  The event included a number of speeches by the President of the Municipality, Katub Shokr, and the General Coordinator of the Future Movement in Kaytah3, Samer Hadara, the DHSS representative Dr. Mahmud Khodr, and the women sector coordinator Insaf al-Asa3ad.  Al Asa3ad reiterated the Future Movement’s belief in women’s roles and capacities and, thus, the need to address women’s issues and improve their condition as this will benefit the society as a whole.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal 27 October 2014

Newspaper coverage of the crisis that has hit this year’s agricultural harvest continues, as A-Safir published, last Friday, two reports on this subject.  The first discussed the unprecedented poor harvest of olives in Marje3yoon because of the dearth of rainwater during the previous year. The report also noted that this situation will undoubtedly lead to an increase in the price of olives as a result of increased demand and lower supply.  Olive growers have already started selling the gallon of olive oil at USD 140 compared to USD 80 – 100 last year; in addition the cost of one kilogram of olives went up reaching USD 10.
The second report focused on the overflow in the harvest of apples which has so far filled out all existing refrigeration facilities in addition to home storage, while 30% of the harvest remain on its trees and cannot be harvested because of the decline in available labor force following the new restrictions imposed on Syrian workers and that is according to apple grower, Fawzi al Moghrabi.  Moghrabi also expressed his concerns regarding marketing because of difficulties in exporting.  He added that apple growers relied in the past on overland exports to Jordan and Egypt, a matter that is now very difficult in view of the Syrian crisis.  The president of the Syndicate of Apple Growers in Lebanon, Fouad Nassar, noted that this year’s total production in Lebanon exceeded 10 million apple boxes adding that the government must find new export outlets and suggesting that agreements be concluded with GCC countries to export via the Beirut port.
In a related vein, the president of the Federation of Beqaa Farmers, Ibrahim Tarshishi, hoped that politicians, especially the current Minister of Agriculture, Akram Chehayeb, would help Lebanese farmers in exporting potatoes to Syria which has now allowed the import of this product.  He also hoped that hurdles blocking the export of potatoes to Syria and Iraq will soon be lifted especially since they relate mostly to administrative red tape at the level of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Source: Al-Safir, Al-Safir, Al-Diyyar, 24 October 2014