News updates

As Safir newspaper published a report on the impact of insecurity on the economic sector in general and more specifically on tourism revealing the laying off of thousands of regular and seasonal workers most of whom were school and university students.
According to the figures gathered by As Safir, Lebanon lost by last July some 572,215 tourists thus a drop of 43.15% compared to the first seven months of 2010.  The drop in revenue from tourism during the current year is likely to exceed USD 4 billion compared to a total revenue of USD 8 billion recorded last year
According to the Research and Studies Department at the Ministry of Tourism, the total number of visitors to Lebanon during the month of July 2013 dropped by 13.52% compared with the same period in 2012 (i.e. 871,720 visitors in 2013 compared to circa 993,000 in 2012). The president of the Union of Tourism Institutions and head of the Hotel Owners Association in Lebanon, Mr. Pierre Achkar and the General Secretary of the Union of Tourism Institutions and chairman of the Syndicate of Maritime Firms, Jean Beiruty, both noted that the situation of tourism in Lebanon continues to worsen, while Achkar added that as a result, the sector has had to lay off more than 70% of its seasonal worker, namely 14000 people most of whom are students.  Hotels have thus far laid off around 25% of their total staff.  As Safir further noted that 180 restaurants located in summer resorts did not open this year adding that that 60% of those employed in these establishments were students.
Source: Al-Safir 3 September 2013

The Ministry of Social Affairs issued a statement declaring that it has financed 18 small projects proposed by women municipal council members and spread all over Lebanon.  This decision was taken within the framework of Promoting women's participation in local governance and development project which it is implementing with funding from the Italian Embassy in Lebanon and the office of Italian cooperation for development.  The successful projects were chosen based on criteria set by the Ministry in collaboration with the development cooperation office while they seek to promote equality between women and men through economic empowerment of women and the strengthening of governance and participation in decision making.
These projects are now operational as the Ministry has already delivered the first round of financing during a meeting held yesterday at the Ministry with the presence of women municipal council members whose projects were chosen.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal, Al-Nahar 3 September 2013
 

The seventh annual Injaz Lebanon youth business plan competition, organized by Injaz Association, came to an end, last Saturday, where five teams of high school students worked for 5 months to pitch their plans to a panel of jurors who judged their ability to make money, market their product, benefit society and create a viable business. The concluding ceremony was held at the American University of Beirut.
The submitted business plans ranged from eco-friendly products to help Lebanon’s environment to practical solutions to everyday problems, and the four winners were announced as follows: the top prize went to Portocello Company, which created a stand for mobile phones, and will now represent Lebanon in the regional competition. The marketing prize went to Eco-box, an iPhone holder made out of recycled material, the winner for corporate social responsibility went to Car-een who created a product to discourage drivers from littering, while from the same company, Elie Makdissy won the this year’s best CEO prize.
Source: The Daily Star 3 September 2013
 

The Ali el Nahri development association organised last week a seminar on the role of women in public life in collaboration with the Rassemblement Democratique des Femmes Libanaises.  Fariza Moussa, a board member of the development organization noted that any renaissance is incomplete without the contribution of women.  Member of RDFL, Ms. Roula Zaiter, stressed in her intervention that the dominant social culture emphasizes the domination of men over women and supports men’s authority, adding that the patriarchal system controls customs and social traditions.  Zaiter also emphasized that the political factor is key in strengthening women’s participation through their involvement in political and parliamentary life.  She called for the adoption of the women’s quota as a temporary measure which will ensure the rights of women in elections and will guarantee their access to power and to decision making. The event was concluded with the distribution of certificates for women who participated in a women’s empowerment training session.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal 1 September 2013

The Economic Media Forum recommended that the role of Arab women and their participation in the media related to the economic sector be strengthened and supported.  This was noted as part of a wider recommendation framework calling for the strengthening economic media mechanisms within in the process of sustainable economic development whilst emphasizing the importance of partnership and collaboration amongst media and economic institutions.  The recommendations also insisted on the importance of holding regular meetings and encounters amongst media and economic institutions with a view towards developing an economic press that is capable of participating in economic decision making as well as providing adequate information and material to economic institutions so as to build their capacities and create new skills in the media sector.
To be noted that the conference of the Economic Media Forum was held for the first time in Beirut and was organized by the Union of Arab Banks, the International Union for Arab Bankers and the Banks Association in Lebanon.  The Conference started last Thursday and extended over a two days period with the participation of some 200 Arab and Lebanese bankers from 12 Arab countries, in addition to leading economic, media and banking figures from the region.
Source: Al-Safir 31 August 2013

The campaign to close non-registered Syrian commerce in the Bekaa took off on August 31st after the elapse of the ultimatum given to their proprietors, starting with Bar Elias in the Caza of Zahleh which has recoded the highest number of such outfits (212 out of the total 377 according to the official survey).
“Nahar” newspaper noted that the decision is being met with various degrees of acceptance by those concerned.  Some have accepted the decision, whilst others have either left their shops or closed them prior to the visit by law enforcement.  Others have taken recourse with their Lebanese landlords, who presented themselves as the owners of the businesses, with the Syrian nationals being mere employees.  For its part, “Al-Akbar” spoke of the grievances of those concerned especially noting that the grace period given was particularly making it difficult to obtain an official certificate as well as the needed work permits.  To be notes that 57 businesses located in Bar Elias were closed during the first day of the campaign which will run for another 10 days (starting from 8:00 am  until 5:00 pm every day)  
Source: Al-Nahar, Al-Safir 2 September 2013

The ILO and the Ministry of Labour organised yesterday a workshop to discuss the draft of a generic job description for social workers with the participation of social workers from the Ministries of Labour and of Social Affairs in addition to some other social workers active with NGOs in Lebanon.  The job description was drafted by the ILO in anticipation of its endorsement and adoption by the Ministry of Labour (MoL).  According to this document, the social workers are expected to complete training in various subjects such as international human rights convention, ILO standards as well as addressing forced labour, trafficking in humans and the new practices related to control of work conditions, mediation, conflict resolution, etc. According to the designate plan, social workers belonging to MoL are expected to carry out spot checks to follow-up on the conditions of foreign domestic workers, submit reports, receive complaints related to their mental and social state and investigate these complaints.
To be noted that the Ministry of Labour had already appointed six social workers to provide assistance to migrant women domestic workers especially in addressing conflicts with employers but these have yet to take on their role mainly for lack of training.
Source: Al-Akhbar 30 August 2013

The Agriculture Cooperative Association organized an environmental and agricultural day in Sidon – Jezzine, which sought to encourage rural development, natural agriculture, raise awareness on environmental protection and encourage rural inhabitants to remain in their villages.  The event included a number of activities such as purposeful walks in the villages to view local and traditional agricultural products and crafts and a traditional village lunch.  The day was concluded with an artistic performance by 30 artists as well as presentations by experts on apiculture, a specialty of Sidon, the merits of traditional honey as well as advice for growing lavender and Rosemary and for recycling cardboard packages so as to limit environmental pollution.
Rita Khawand, a member of the local cooperative noted that this day is a pilot for setting up the permanent market for local products which will open every Sunday for the villagers who reside in the capital.  The market will be a first step towards creating a network to marketing products outside the village and in Beirut.
Source: Al-Nahar 28 August 2013

Ghassan Haddad and Ziad Mabsout, the two ambassadors of the ATF Youth, convened last week an encounter in order to discuss job opportunities for young people in Lebanon.  The event which was held at the headquarters of the Arab Thought Forum in Solidere, included 15 young women and men who shared the challenges they are facing in finding work opportunities in the current sluggish job market namely because of the prevailing security situation, various livelihood challenges, high cost of living and the inability of the state and the public sector to create an atmosphere that is conducive for investments.  The aim of the meeting was to tease out suggestions related to the identified themes and which revolved around the role of private and public sectors, civil society organisations in creating an enabling environment that is conducive for the creation of jobs for the youth and the importance of collaboration between these various sectors.
This meeting is part of a series of preparatory events that are being convened by the ambassadors of ATF Youth, each in their own respective country, in preparation for the annual “Fikr 12” conference which will be held in Dubai in December 2013 and which will focus on creating new work opportunities for the youth in the Arab region.
Source: Al-Hayat, Al-Mustaqbal, Al-Nahar 27 August 2013
 

Hayya Bina organised a cultural and encounter day for its students from Zahleh, Shmestaar, Saida and Kfhar7im.  The event took place in Mount Sannin under the auspices of the cultural attaché at the American embassy in Beirut Ms. Lisa Petzold and within the framework of the extra-curricular activities of the “English for women” project, which is being implemented in around 35 localities in Lebanon.  The cultural and leisure event was supposed to include participants from Zahreyyeh and Jabal Mohsen but this was not possible in view of the security situation in Tripoli.
The event spread over an entire day and included various cultural activities such as an introduction to the different Lebanese regions from which the participants came, viewing a number of short films on conflict resolution and plenary discussions animated by the educational expert, Mohammed al Amine.
Source: Al-Nahar 27 August 2013