Capacity Building Project for Development in Lebanon

Capacity Building Project for Development in Lebanon:

The Role of NGOs, Civil Society, and Other Actors

Seminar on Gender Equity in Lebanon

11th and 12th October 2005

Beirut, Lebanon

Proceedings report

Table of Contents:
First Day:
Opening Session:
-Her Excellency the Minister of Social Affairs: Nayla Mouawad
-His Excellency the Canadian Ambassador to Lebanon: Loius DeLorimier
-Her Excellency the Resident Representative of the UNDP in Lebanon: Mona Hamam
-Steering Committee: Wadad Shakhtoura
Steering Committee: Sabah Baderdine-
First Session: Establishing Common Grounds for Understanding Gender Equity:
-Moderator: Jacques Kabanji
-Introductions to Gender Equity & Poverty Eradication as a Basis for Achieving the MDGs: Zeina Ali Ahamd
-A Gender Perspective in Development: A Conceptual Approach: Fahmieh Charafedinne
-Overview of Women's Conditions in Lebanon from a Gender Perspective: Sawsan Al Masri
-Overview of Non- Lebanese Women's Conditions in Lebanon from a Gender Perspective: Rolan Tawk
Second Session: The Role and Strategies of the Women's Movement:
- Moderator: Norma Melhem
- Lebanese Women's Network: Wadad Shakhtoura
- Lebanese Women's Council: Fa'ika Turkiyeh
- National Coalition on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women: Thourayia Hachem
- National Committee for the Follow- up of Women's Issues: Nayla Al- Masri

Second Day:

Working Groups:

Title of Group / Resource Person
Women and Work / Zahra Bahlawan
Women and Education / Dr. Aman Sharani
Women and Health / Toufic Osayran
Women and Their Rights within the Family / Dr. Marie- Rose Zalzal
Women's Image in the Media / Iman Shamas Shukier
Women and Participation in the Decision Making Process / Dr. Wafa Dika Hamzeh

Final Session: Roundtable on the Responsibilities & Coordination among Various Stakeholders:

- Moderator: Linda Mattar

- Public Institutions: Nemat Kanaan

- Trade Unions: Ghassan Slaiby

- Educational Sector: Khairiya Kadouh

- Local Governments: Samira Baghdadi

- Media Sector: Diana Mukalled

- Private Sector: Lina Abou Habib

Executive Summary

This seminar was the second event of a two year project aimed at constructing a national vision against poverty in Lebanon, taking into account two key issues: gender equity and youth participation. The project is entitled: "Capacity Building Program for Development in Lebanon: The Role of NGOs, Civil Society, and Other Actors." It is a partnership betweenThe Arab NGO Network for Development, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Canadian Fund for Social Development, Collectif des ONG au Liban, Lebanese Women’s Network, and Oxfam-Quebec. The latest seminar was one of three national seminars discussing the previously mentioned areas. They are to be followed by regional roundtables and strategic planning sessions that intend to explore the regional needs and deficiencies. The National Seminar on Gender Equity in Lebanon took place on the 11th and 12th of October 2005 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Hamra. Beirut.

Opening Session

The seminar was inaugurated by the Lebanese as well as the Canadian national anthems. During the opening session His Excellency the Canadian Ambassador to Lebanon Mr. Louis DeLorimier, expressed his content at participating in the seminar and hoped that the current change in Lebanon would reflect positively on gender equity. The Minister of Social Affairs Her ExcellencyMs. Nayla Mouawad stressed the significance of the struggle for women's rights to ensure women empowerment and participation in all sectors of life; and asserted that the current cabinet would allocate sufficient attention to the matter. The Resident Representative of the UNDP in Lebanon Her Excellency Dr. Mona Hamam stressed the importance of gender equity in the development process and urged the Lebanese government to create an atmosphere that supports the establishment of this equity. Ms. Wadad Shakhtoura from the Steering Committee highlighted the continuous struggle for the attainment of women's rights and pointed to the unhelpful policies of some external actors. At the end of the opening session Ms. Sabah Baderdine provided a briefing of the previous seminar on poverty. During the poverty seminar the UNDP expressed its will to cooperate with the government on various levels and its support of political reform. The public sector also expressed the need for political and administrative reform and the entrenchment of concepts of equality and administrative reform. The private sector has the role of creating jobs to overcome poverty. As for the civil society it demanded greater commitment on the part of the government and presented itself as a partner in the process of development. It also called for cooperation of all sectors within and outside of government to accomplish the required goals. Several recommendations were presented during the national seminar on poverty eradication in Lebanon.

First Session: Establishing Common Grounds for Understanding Gender Equity

This session was moderated by Dr. Jacques Kabanji who gave a concise presentation on the concept of gender, its formulation, and the factors that affect it. He was followed by Ms. Zeina Ali Ahmad who said that the purpose of Millennium Development Goals is the construction of national initiatives aiming at their realization and thus utilizing them as a measure of human development. The third MDG, gender equity, is the result of continuous efforts and campaigns by international, regional and local women civil society organizations. This goal also ensures the child's right to attain full educational services and abolish female illiteracy and allows females the chance to acquire productive labor in addition to a larger say in the decision making process. Studies have shown that the attempt to realize the MDGs without allocating the proper attention to gender equity is futile. National MDG Reports help in the assessment of progress accomplished, and can be utilized in gender equity campaigns. The various sectors should participate in these reports (UN, governments, private sector, NGOs, parliaments.) In Lebanon a tangible improvement has been accomplished where almost equal percentages of females and males attend schools. This, however, has not been reflected an improvement in women's role in decision making and economic activity.

In the second section of this session Ms. Fahmieh Charafedinne presented a Conceptual Approach to the Gender Perspective in Development. Dr. Charafedinne's intervention was based on the consecutive Arab Human Development Reports which highlighted the obstacles facing development in this region: deficiency in knowledge, deficiency in women empowerment, and deficiency in freedom. The lack of freedom and knowledge is hindering female empowerment; and despite some improvements, half of the females in the Arab world are still illiterate. The empowerment of women relies on three concepts:

1- the power to which endorses women in attaining equal participation in decision making in the political, social and economic realms.

2- the power with which allows women to organize themselves to reach common goals and interests

3- the power in which drives women to gain more self- confidence and it consequently compels awareness

Dr. Charafedinne added that all the laws that seem to be egalitarian from the outside are not so in their essence due to two reasons: The first concerns the legal dimension where equality is flagrantly absent since the woman is tied by the personal status law which makes the man her guardian from infancy till death. Hence, Ms. Charafedinne demanded that all laws should be freed from any biases. The second reason concerns the educational dimension where the view of women in society is based on this dimension. The problem is not only in the stereotypical division of roles but also in the way those roles are played i.e. the decision making priorities within the role. The speaker pointed out that a developmental process in which women do not participate is an endangered one. In short, not only laws and procedures limit women's decision making role but also a group of educational values within this paternal society. Removing personal as well as objective obstacles is required to achieve equity. Objective obstacles are the group of laws and legislations that women are subject to through out their lives; while personal obstacles are those built on traditions and values and are classified under the previously mentioned educational dimension. These latter obstacles integrate in the social structures, family, school, and media creating the stereotypical gender roles.

Charafedinne was followed by Mr. Roland Taouk who provided an Overview of the Situation of non- Lebanese Women in Lebanon. His presentation focused on the two aspects which are the master- slave relations between the employer and the house helper and the deficiencies in the Lebanese laws which allow for such inhumane practices Taouk called for eliminating the offices of brokers and intermediaries who cause harm to both the employer and the employee while making a great deal of profit. He provided a list of the most frequent problems facing workers in Lebanon. In conclusion, a new revolutionary law is the solution to most of the problems since it would ensure the workers' rights, security, and dignity.

The fourth speaker of this session was Ms. Sawsan Masri giving a description of Women's Conditions in Lebanon from a Gender Perspective. She described the importance of women's participation in the developmental process and the equality of benefits. She also called for closing the gap in the development indicators. Masri pointed to the necessity of attaining fair legislations and effective participation in decision making. She moved on to provide sector based descriptions of women's conditions. Education and health, for example, do not witness grave differences. However, men and women are not equal in front of the law. Moreover, sever discrepancies exist in political and economic decision making. She concluded by referring to the stereotypical social system and the image it presents of women. Serious and constructive efforts should be exerted to overcome these stereotypes. Finally, this session was concluded by interventions from the audience. Discrepancy

Roles and Strategies of the Women's Movement

The second session was moderated by Ms. Norma Melhem and Ms. Wadad Shakhtoura from the Lebanese Women's Network was the first speaker. She described the crisis of the women's movement a part of the crisis facing the various democratic forces in Lebanon. They have to overcome sectarian divisions to achieve their goals. She called for change in the inherited male culture. Shakhtoura presented the reasons which hinder the development of the women' movement. They are divided over two sets: objective reasons and personal ones. The first second includes the decrease in national sense of belonging to the favor of the sectarian sense; it also includes the political and security instabilities that limit the development of secular and democratic forces; the final reason in this set is that the vulnerability of democratic forces and civil society organizations limits their support to women causes. The personal reasons include the difference in strategic planning and prioritizing, weakness in attracting women in the various professional sectors, weakness in democratic practices, and the submission of many organizations to the religious or political references. She proposed a strategy to accomplish full equality which is based on full citizenship for all.

Shakhtoura was followed by the President of the Lebanese Women's Council, Ms. Fa'ika Turkiyeh. She described the Arab society as one living in deterioration namely that half of its powers are marginalized. Women have mediocre participation in the economic and political realms. This leads to limiting the capabilities of a society to grow; it also renders developmental efforts futile, not to mention the negative reflections on women's role even in the family. Women and men do not enjoy the same rights due to the stereotypical culture which identifies the woman according to her relation with the man. Turkiyeh also pointed to the importance of attaining a civil personal status law. Women should be provided their full rights as they appear in the Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women. Turkiyeh pointed to the shared responsibility between men and women in averting discrimination. She concluded by explaining the structure, goals, and work plan of the Council.

Ms. Thourayia Hachem of the Coalition on the Elimination of all Form s of Discrimination against Women commenced her statement by referring to the increased injustice against women which prevents them from assuming their appropriate positions in all levels and facets of society. Describing gender equity as the noblest goal of the 21st century, she pointed to the persisting forms of discrimination, including violence, which diminish the potentials of women worldwide. Hachem posed some essential questions on the effectiveness of the Women's Movement thus far. She then moved on to present the National Coalition on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. She discussed its membership, accomplishments, themes, and work plan. She concluded by presenting some suggestions such as increasing focus on gender issues, implementing international agreements, involving civil society in dialogue with the government, building the capacities of those involved in women's rights and increasing awareness in society.

The last speaker in this session was Ms. Nayla Al Masri from the National Committee for the Follow- up of Women's Issues. She presented the goals of the Committee and the way in which it works. Masri also provided a brief description on some of the Committee's activities in the domains of spreading awareness, supporting women in their political struggle, and pursuing the implementation of the CEDAW, in addition to a Cultural Forum which holds different discussions and meetings.

Working Groups

During the second day of the seminar, participants were divided into working groups. Following is the topic of each group and its main recommendations:

Women and Work (Sub group 1 on the problems and obstacles preventing the increase of female workers in various sectors):

1. Domestic and educational awareness play a positive role in the above mentioned problems.

2. Media should play a key role in changing the stereotypical image of women and should not exploit her as a product.

3. Awareness should be spread in society through campaigns in schools, clubs and other venues about people with physical abnormalities or special needs and encouraging them to participate in the work force.

4. Work should be done on the empowerment of women through ensuring them job opportunities to enter all the sectors of the work force.

5. Infra structures that allow women with special needs to enter the work force should be constructed.

The second sub group on the obstacles that organize labor in Lebanon:

1. Include women in legislating committees working on women issues (among others) is a necessity.

2. There is a need for new legislations tackling sectors other than those currently present in the law.

3. Women's organizations should play a role in the empowerment of women and supporting them to run for unions

4. Fight illiteracy among working women and make them aware of their rights and freedoms is also required

5. Declare and make public cases in which women are taken advantage of (such as lower wages, discrimination in promotions…). Civil society organizations and unions play a role in this matter.

6. Women should participate in decision making starting from the house hold and reaching political decision making.

7. Relate special clauses in the law to women refugees especially in the field of protecting the working Palestinian woman

8. Add new articles to the law 220/2000 pertaining to the women with special needs and efforts should be exerted to implement the new and old articles through exerting pressure on governments and parliaments.

The second working group was on the women and education; and had the following recommendations:

1. Parents should encourage their daughters towards education.

2. Balance educational policies

3. Implement obligatory enrolment.

4. Take concrete steps to reduce the percentages of illiteracy.

5. Create educational programs targeting older people.

6. Encourage females to enter vocational training.

7. Amend school books and curricula to eliminate all discriminatory material in language or pictures or ideas. Teachers should be trained on gender issues.

8. Support women's financial independence and appreciate her productive work.

The third working group discussed the issue of Women and Their Rights within the Family; and presented the following recommendations:

1. Implement civil laws on all citizens; and religious laws should be optional and applied on individual bases.

2. Eliminate the confessional system in Lebanon.

3. Amend the nationality law whereby both the mother and father can give their children the nationality.

4. Create civil laws that are applicable in the same way to all confessions.

5. Conduct awareness campaigns for women to encourage them to oppose injustice and claim their rights.