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Saradar Bank women’s race in Beirut on March 31st

29-1-2019

The minister of public works in the caretaker government, Yousef Finianos, discussed yesterday with the president of the Beirut Marathon Association, May Khalil, the hosting by Port of Beirut of the upcoming Saradar Bank Women’s Race to be held on Sunday, March 31, 2019. Following the meeting, Khalil said she informed the minister about the intention of holding the annual event at the Port, revealing that she has earlier visited the port’s CEO, Hassan Kreitim, who welcomed the idea. Khalil also mentioned that a press conference will be held on February 12 at the facility to officially announce the race, hoping the ministry’s participation will be a gesture in support of the Lebanese female athletes. Finianos for his part commended the role of the Beirut Marathon Association in polishing the country’s cultural image, stressing the need to highlight the role of the Port of Beirut through the Saradar race. (Al Mustaqbal, January 29, 2019)

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VAW news: Military kills his mother in law, harassment of girls in Kura, kidnapping with intention of forced marriage

29-1-2019

Al Mustaqbal reported today that the first lieutenant in the Army, Kh. A, has shot his mother in law and sister in law killing the first and injuring the second in chest. The newspaper said that in mid-December 2017, the assailant arrived at a village in Akkar to take his infant and his wife, F. A who had fled and returned to her parents’ house with her daughter after learning about her husband’s second marriage. But when the wife’s parents refused to let him in, the perpetrator aimed his gun at the house firing several shots killing his mother in law and injuring his sister in law. Subsequently, the military court charged the culprit with the deliberate killing of his mother in law and attempting to kill his wife’s sister by shooting them from an unlicensed handgun, while noting that the husband repeatedly beat his wife. On the other hand, the ISF Information Department arrested yesterday A. A, Syrian, in Haikaliyeh neighborhood of Koura in the North on charges of sexually harassing girls. He was referred to Dahr el Ayn police station to take legal action against him. On the same day, Ibrahim Khaled Hadou, Syrian, reported to Ghabala ISF police unit his fellow citizen Hassan for luring his minor daughter Rahaf (13 years) and kidnapping her with the intention of marriage. (Al Mustaqbal, January 29, 2019)

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AUB honors Mirna Bustani

29-1-2019

Mirna Bustani received yesterday the American University of Beirut, AUB’s highest award, the University Medal, in recognition for her significant contributions to AUB. Bustani was the first Lebanese woman to join the ranks of the Lebanese Legislature succeeding her father, MP Emile Bustani, after his death in 1963 and also inherited his businesses, to later found Al Bustan Hotel in Beit Meri. She received a degree from the Faculty of Arts, University of Lyon, and organized concerts for the British Lebanese Association. In 1994, she started Al Bustan Festival which placed Lebanon on the world stage as a center for performing arts. Among her awards, is the Order of the Cedar of the Officer Rank; the Merit of Culture from the ministry of arts of the Polish Republic; the Golden Insignia of the Republic of Austria; the Friendship Medal from Russia, and the Commander Isabelle la Catholique Order from the King of Spain. Bustani was also honored in 2017 with a commemorative stamp by Liban Post and is one of the founders of the British Lebanese Association (1980) and the Center for Lebanese Studies, Oxford (1990). (Al Mustaqbal, January 29,2019)

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Towards a national strategy for social protection

28-1-2019

In collaboration with UNICEF, the ministry of social affairs (MoSA) on January 25, organized a workshop on the preparation of a national strategy for social protection in the presence of MoSA minister Pierre Abu Assi, UNICEF representative and the ministry’s director general. Around 50 representatives of international organizations, public administration and civil society, and a group of experts attended as well. Discussion focused on the mechanisms necessary to prepare a comprehensive strategy for social protection in the country, and the need for coordination between the various public departments, international institutions and civil society in order to unify the social vision and goals of social protection. In conclusion, participants agreed to work to set up the procedures for the strategy in cooperation with partners. (Al Mustaqbal, January 26, 2019)

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Number of women in banking sector increasing

28-1-2019

The chief operation officer at Al Mawarid Bank, head of women empowerment group at the Arab financial institutions and banks affiliated with the World Union of Arab Bankers (WUAB), Nahla Bou Diab, said the number of female workforce in the sector is steadily increasing. The rate of women in the banking industry stood at 47.8%, she said, noting that females have surpassed males in the level of educational attainment and in terms of job rank or title, where they now occupy senior positions as managers of bank branches in the different Lebanese regions. In her interview with Al Diyar newspaper, Bou Diab maintained that women workers are an added value in the banking sector, especially that they stood out in the technology and management sections. Bou Diab called for diversity in the administrative staff in preparation for diversity in the board rooms, stressing that management requires both men and women who boast good management skills and experience. Recalling, that the WUAB has approved the system of diversity developed recently by Bou Diab. The system is a handbook for the daily work within financial institutions. It guides them to achieve coherence and integration between the various skills and fill gaps with the purpose to activate their capacity to adapt with the constantly changing global environment, and enable them to create equal opportunities between men and women. (Al Diyar, January 27, 2019)

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USD 1,600 to each Yazidi woman survivor from ISIS

28-1-2019

The Iraqi minister of displacement and migration, Nawfal Bahaa Moussa, announced on January 27 the allocation of Iraqi Dinar 2 million (around USD 1600) for each Yazidi woman survivor from ISIS. A ministry statement said Moussa, during his visit to Tal Keif district of Ninawa Province, stressed that Yazidi women have been traumatized and that his ministry will stand by them to this end. The statement cited the minister as saying, that each Yazidi woman survivor will receive a sum of USD 1600 allotted from the 2019 budget. To note, Yazidi women have widely complained of being systematically abducted and sold as sex slaves by ISIS which invaded large areas of Iraq before the Iraqi government declared victory in 2017. (Al Diyar, January 28, 2019)

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Kuwaiti Rula Dashti appointed as next ESCWA executive secretary

24-1-2019

The United Nations Information Center in Beirut (UNIC) announced on January 22nd the appointment of Kwaiti Dr. Rula Dashti as the executive secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) to succeed Mohamad Ali Hakeem of Iraq. Dashti, an economic expert and women’s rights and gender equality campaigner, is currently a member of the Supreme Planning Council in Kuwait. She served as a minister for planning and development and minister of state for parliamentary affairs between 2012 and 2014. She played a significant role in advocating for the ratification of a decree that allows Kuwaiti women to vote and run for parliamentary elections. Dashti also held key positions in research and development institutions, like the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, and worked for major local and international financial and development agencies, such as the National Bank of Kuwait and the World Bank. Dashti, holds a PhD in population dynamics from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, a master’s in economics and finance from California State University-Sacramento, and a bachelor’s degree in agriculture economics from California State University- Chico. (An Nahar, January 23, 2019)

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80 million women needed in India & China to bridge the gender demographic gap

24-1-2019

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a summary of a report to be released this February (c.f: https://bit.ly/2UaOrGL), that India and China, the two largest countries in population size, need around 80 million females to create a balance in the gender gap in population count. India and China, the report said, suffer a severe shortage in female numbers. In some areas of the two South Asian countries, there are 120 men for every 100 women, and the number could rise in the future, the report warned. China’s one-child policy adopted from 1979 to 2015, was among the causes of imbalance in the country’s population composition, according to the report. Many families in both China and India resorted to abortion to eliminate female births. HRW maintained that gender inequality has led to many problems, especially in China, including forcing Burmese women and girls to marry Chinese men for USD 3 to USD 13,000 each. (Al Mustaqbal, January 23, 2019)

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Female Palestinian student raped and killed in Australia

24-1-2019

Thousands took part in the funeral of the Palestinian female student who was killed last week in Australia and was buried in her hometown of Baqa al Gharbiya, in the north of Occupied Palestine. Aya Massarweh, 21, was raped and killed on her way home in Melbourne on the night of January 16 when her body was discovered by passers-by near the train station. In a tribute to Aya, women and children carried black banners which read, ‘Women have the right to live in peace.’ While her father, Saeed Massarweh in his obituary, pledged to carry on his daughter’s calling in spreading peace and love, and demanded more humanity irrespective of race and ethnicity. “I hope,” he said, “that my daughter’s murder will be the last offense perpetrated against women.” In Australia, citizens who have been appalled and distressed by the rape and killing of Aya, took to the streets in mass marches and gatherings. The incident has raised many questions on the extent of protection of women on the streets of Australia. (Al Diyar, January 24, 2019)

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Labor market analysis of digital, fashion and jewelry sectors

23-1-2019

In collaboration with partners, the labor ministry organized yesterday a session in Beirut to present the results of of the labor market analysis in the digital, fashion and jewelry sectors. This comes as part of the EU funded ‘Technical Assistance to Support the Promotion of Social Dialogue in Lebanon’ project. During the session, expert Joumana Breihi outlined the outputs which assist the labor ministry and the National Employment Office in establishing close ties within the above sectors in order to help companies discover and recruit skilled labor and facilitate job seekers in their lookout for opportunities. A statement by the project indicated that, the digital sector in Lebanon provides ample prospects for the country’s economy and its potential of growth, pointing out that the number of male workforce is many fold the number of females. The sector, the statement said, is a youth sector, but despite this, nearly 23 per cent of firms do not employ young people. In the fashion and jewelry industries, the statement noted that competition is fierce in the domestic market with a capacity of USD 600 million 37% of fashion companies have reportedly not employed any female, while there are less than 7% of female employees in the jewelry sector, and the youth staff is limited in both sectors, the statement concluded. For more info (in Arabic), kindly visit the following link, https://goo.gl/Q5zDRZ. (Al Mustaqbal, January 23, 2019)

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