News updates

The Minister of Economy and Trade Alain Hakim met with the president of the Franco-Lebanese Chamber of Commerce, Gaby Tamer, and discussed economic issues of common interest between Lebanon and France.  These discussions were held within the framework of the visit of Mr. Tamer following his recent elections and focused on ways to strengthen economic relations at all levels between the two countries especially in what concerns the development of small and medium enterprises as well as boosting trade exchanges.
Source: Al-Nahar, Al-Safir, Al-Mustaqbal, Al-Diyar 5 August 2014

The union of fruits and vegetables retail sellers held a meeting last week for its general assembly and administrative committee headed by Hajj Suheil al Maabi.  The meeting discussed the latest news regarding the appropriation of land in Ard Jalloul for the purpose of creating the central Beirut market for fruits and vegetables.  The union called for prompt completion of legal procedures for the appropriation of the land where the market is to be set up and to start implementation without further delays.  The meeting concluded with a number of recommendations, namely a) considering this project as a key milestone for developing Beirut and freeing sidewalks, b) controlling prices, and c) limiting ambulant sellers, which should facilitate law enforcement and would protect sellers and consumers.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal 4 August 2014

As Safir newspaper published an article about the local “Thursday Market” in Bint Jbeil which has recently become once more quite active breaking the past slowdown which characterised the commercial institutions in the region. This, according to the newspaper, is largely attributed to Eid al Fitr and the still modest but steadily growing influx of immigrants.

As Safir toured the Thursday Market where local merchants were buyout whilst offering discounts as well as the possibility to haggle with clients thus encouraging sales. One of the local shop owners, Mohammed Hassan, described the recent situation as the normal state of the Market.  He added that the sluggish situation during the past few years makes them surprised at this comeback.  One of the kiosks owners told As Safir that this new dynamic in the market is a good omen and may repeat itself every Thursday if the area could benefit from a period of stability as was the case after the liberation in the year 2000.

Source: Al-Safir 4 August 2014

The annual report of the Lebanon Central Bank for 2013 notes that the total number of bank employees increased to 23136 last year of whom, 21629 are employed by 42 Lebanese commercial banks, 734 people employed in the branches of 11 Arab and international banks and 773 employees in the 17 business banks, all of which are Société anonyme companies (S.A.L).  The same report also notes that 2013 witnessed a growth of 2.2% in the number of employees (i.e. 499 new employees) compared to 2012.

Bank employees share a number of socio-demographic characteristics as it includes young people in general with university degrees as well as a rising number of women which has reached 45.9% of total by the end of 2013.  The percentage of female workers in the banking sector exceeds that of all other sectors which is estimated at 25% on average. Data also indicates that some 39.2% of bank employees are single (49.9% for women and 50.1% for men) compared to 39.5% in 2012 while 60.8% of bank employees are married (with 56.6% for men and 43.4% for women).

Source: Al-Mustaqbal 4 August 2014

A Bangladeshi MWDW was found dead by hanging in an orchard in Minieh.  The orchard is the property of her employer Marwan Abdel Rahman Skaf who contacted the authorities to report the death.  Investigations started right away and neighbors and witnesses were heard whilst the body was transported to the public hospital in Tripoli for examination by the forensic doctor.  Witnesses confirmed that the victim had a good relation with her employer and that her suicide is probably due to a dispute between her and her husband and family in Bangladesh.

Source: Al-Mustaqal 4 August 2014

As Safir newspaper profiled a number of summer festivals taking place in various part of Lebanon, which are attracting crowds of men and women seeking to forget for a moment their economic and livelihoods hardships.  Charbel Rouhana animated a concert in Duma (Batrun) amongst a huge crowd who filled the stadium where he was performing.  In Tripoli, religious chants were on the programme in addition to traditional Arabic Mouwashahat and a concert by Ribal Khodary group, all of which were organized by the Al Azm Cultural Centre in Mina.  This festival also included theater plays and various concerts.  The Festivals Committee in Bzeeza-Kura affiliated to the Kozma and Damianos Church organized a cultural and entertainment programme for children at the Roman stadium and under the auspices of the local municipality.

In Hasrun, the summer festivals were concluded in the town’s historical souk with a village dinner and a market of traditional food and products in addition to a live show of pottery making as well as traditional cooking of several food items. Aley focused on contemporary art by artist, Ghenwa Radwan under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and in collaboration with the Aley municipality.  The event also hosted Lebanese and foreign artists.

The Ain Qenya Youth collective in Hasbayya launched its third cultural festival with the participation of political, cultural, educational and social figures in addition to heads of local municipalities.

Source: Al-Safir 4 August 2014

Lebanon rated 65th over 187 on the global human development indicator and 80th over 149 on the gender inequality indicator and that is according to the 2014 human development report launched last week by the UNDP and which is entitled: Sustaining Human Progress: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience.
The report notes that the human development indicator for Lebanon has risen between 2005 and 2013 from 0.741 to 0.765 thus recording a 3.2% increase with an average yearly increase of 0.40%.  With regards to gender inequality, the report notes a score of 0.431 for Lebanon as women have 3.2% of parliamentary seats while women in secondary education is 38.8% compared to 38.9% for men. Furthermore, the rate of maternal mortality is 25 per 100000 births and the percentage of birth amongst teenage girls is 12 per 1000 birth. Finally, women's participation in the labor market is 22.8% compared to 70.5% for men.
Source: Al-Nahar, Al-Mustaqbal, Al-Diyar 1 August 2014

With the proliferation of e-commerce in Lebanon, two Lebanese entrepreneurs, Julien Fayyad and Emile Boustani, set up a website, Shop Builder which should aid producers in building their own websites to showcase and sell their products.  According to Fayyad who was interviewed by L'Orient le Jour, producers will be able to sell their products electronically internally and externally with least effort and high effectiveness. Customers can enter Shop Builder and choose a design and Shop Builder will build their site for USD 75 a month which includes site management, electronic protection, and technical support. Fayyad added by saying that normally it would have cost individuals some EU 10000 to build their website plus USD 600 a month for fees. Shop Builder now includes four staff, is located in Lebanon, and is basically focusing on attracting customers from the UAE, Qatar and Jordan.
Source: L’Orient Le Jour 21 July 2014

The director of the Lebanese Emigration Research Center (LERC) at Notre Dame University, Dr. Guita Hurani, published a new study on bilateral relations, security and migration and their impact on Lebanese working in the Gulf.  Hurani posed three hypotheses namely: a) bilateral relations can be affected by movements of population; b) the degradation in the bilateral relations between host and sending countries affect migrants negatively; and c) there is a link between bilateral relations and the situation of migrants.
Hurani noted that the bilateral relations between Lebanon and Gulf countries witnessed a significant degradation since the start of the Syrian crisis.  This has had a negative impact on the lives of some 400000 Lebanese working in these countries.  Hurani further added that the policies of home countries affect the migrants in host countries and that there is a lot of tension overlap between economic and security policies, which renders the issue of migration a political issue par excellence. Hurani concluded by saying that Lebanon should urgently adopt wise policies to protect its interests and those of its people working in the Gulf as well as draft a national migration policy especially since remittances constitute one quarter of Lebanese GDP.
Source: Al-Diyar 1 August 2014

As Safir newspaper published yesterday a report about child nursery services which have become an economic necessity but which have yet to reach Iqlim al Touffah and East Saida despite the boom in investment in the area. Indeed, the report notes that the absence of nurseries in these areas poses a serious obstacle to women’s scientific and professional advancement and also poses a hurdle to women’s daily lives.  The report relays the realities of many women who had to put on hold their personal plans and dreams until their kids grow up.  40 year old Ikram, expresses her sadness for not being able to pursue her Doctoral degree.  After she had her first child, Ikram left teaching as well as studying temporarily in order to take care of her children.  She thinks that if the conditions in the village were better, she would not have had to do so.
The report further adds that presently there are only two nurseries run by MOSA in all of East Saida area.  According to the director of the MOSA centre in Jebaa, Sanaa Bahmad, the absence of nurseries is a problem mostly at the village level where the overall mindset is patriarchal and women are expected to fully care for their children and give up their professional aspirations.  The same report also speaks about a visible paradox namely that most municipalities in the area organize several seminars to raise women’s awareness but failed to address the real obstacles towards women participation. Finally, the report concludes that the main obstacle towards opening nurseries is chiefly financial with uncertain economic returns unlike investment in real estate and tourism projects.
Source: Al-Safir 1 August 2014