Lebanon still lagging in MDGs gender inequality indicators || Newspapers

Gender inequality remains a main feature in Lebanon who is only 1001 day away from the date set for realizing the MDGs.  The United Nations resident coordinator Robert Watkins noted in an interview with the Daily Star that Lebanon faces serious obstacles in achieving the millennium development goals pointing out to the need for consistent efforts to be put in place before 2015 namely in realizing gender quality as well as creating employment opportunities for young women and men graduates.  Watkins also pointed out to women’s poor participation in politics as women’s representation in parliament does not exceed 3.1% and the fact that 53% women reach secondary education compared to 55.4% for men while only 22% of women are in the job market compounded by the limited presence of women in the higher echelons of the private and the public sector.
Watkins also shared his concern with the poor employment opportunities available to young graduates which pushes them to emigrate thus negatively impacting Lebanon at both the social and economic levels.
Watkins concluded by noting that much work is still needed in Lebanon quoting the latest statistics of the 2013 which indicate an increase of a 6.2% of the age expectancy at birth as well as an increase of the average number of years of schooling by 2.9 percent. The main positive changes noted appear to be in the increased awareness amongst the Lebanese of the need for change and for finding practical solutions to endemic problems.
Source: The Daily Star, L’Orient Le Jour 4 April 2013