A call for partnership with women’s organizations from:
Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Iraq and OPT
“Strategies and approaches of working with men and boys for ending violence against women” project
A. General brief of the project:
Oxfam GB and KAFA (enough) Violence & Exploitation have entered into a partnership to demonstrate a model in Lebanon of working with men and boys for ending violence against women. The project aims to help women’s organizations and institutions, working on the issue of Ending Violence against Women (EVAW), to explore ways of working with men and boys to influence attitudes, practices and policy change.
The main outcomes of the project are:
Outcome 1:
Women’s organizations in Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, and Syria[1] , are equipped with knowledge and skills on working with men for ending DV, have conveyed these skills to other women’s organizations, and applied skills that influenced positive change
Outcome 2:
For members of parliament in Lebanon to endorse the” Protection of Women from Family Violence” bill (for which KAFA has an advocacy campaign) by 2011
Outcome 3:
Enhanced regional and global linkages, learning and community of practice among organizations promoting working with men and boys by 2011
Project strategic components and activities are:
Capacity Building:
• Development, printing, and dissemination of a training of trainers (TOT) manual on strategies and approaches of working with men and boys for ending VAW.
• TOT targeting 4 organizations in Lebanon and 12 from the region.
• Technical assistance to 4 identified NGOs in the region.
• Participant woman’s organizations/trainees develop an action plan for providing training to at least three NGOs in their countries.
Research:
• Base line data on VAW – using data available from NGOs working on EVAW (national report) in Lebanon. The aim of the study is to further understand the state and prevalence of reported domestic violence in Lebanon.
• Pioneer research on gender and masculinity in Baalbeck (Better understanding of men’s gender roles and more efficient planning of strategies and approaches for engaging them in ending VAW).
Campaigns:
• Integrate working with men and boys in the DV bill campaign’s strategy.
• Men forums: KAFA and Oxfam GB will consolidate its relationship with different men as community leaders, doctors, and lawyers to form the local men’s forum who will support their projects on the ground. Men at national and local levels will have a series of seminars (at least 15) to reflect on the negative impact of DV on women and society in large
• Celebrating the 16 days of activism through a White Ribbon campaign, a globally recognized campaign where men wear a white ribbon showing their commitment to EVAW. The campaign will be launched with young men in 4 private and public universities in Lebanon to demand the endorsement of “Protection of Women from Family Violence Bill”.
Learning and knowledge sharing:
• Website: KAFA will develop a website of “Community of Practice of Working with Men and Boys in the Arab World”. The website will include various sections and pages such as the training manual, the research prepared, the experiences of working with men, stories from men in the men’s forums, the white ribbon campaign etc..
• Oxfam GB will arrange for a study tour for a group of five to benefit and learn from South Asia Regional Campaign on EVAW.
• Learning from White Ribbon campaigns
B. Eligibility for the partnership:
Oxfam GB and KAFA are seeking now partners from the identified countries who are interested to benefit from the project and to benefit other organizations in their respective countries. At this stage, selected partners will benefit from:
- Participation in the Training of Trainers that will be held in Lebanon in 2009.
- Technical backstopping: two visits to each of the identified women’s organizations to provide technical assistance and support on mainstreaming work with men and boys.
- Organizations will also be able to share their experiences and knowledge on working with men, and can place their publications on project’s website.
Eligibility of organizations:
All NGOs, CBOs, networks and government women’s machineries, research institutions entities that promote ending violence against women are eligible to apply for the partnership. The specific criteria include:
- Organizations be registered in their respective country of work,
- Have a long history and commitment to gender equality and ending violence against women in specific,
- Have competent staff that are willing to commit and follow up the TOT on the manual, and have the capacity to deliver to others,
- Willing to sign a Memorandum of understanding with Oxfam GB and KAFA to deliver training on: working with men and boys to end VAW in their respective countries ( 3 training workshop), and to send periodic reports of the training, documenting lessons learnt and good practices to be shared with others.
- To ensure sending trainees on the manual based on specific criteria to be shared with Oxfam GB and KAFA.
C. Application procedure:
Interested organizations should send maximum two pages that include the following:
- Name of the organization,
- Location,
- Name of the contact person (s)
- Mandate of the organization
- Brief history of the organization and its membership
- Project and programme on ending VAW (types of support)
- Scope of interventions on ending VAW (national, local, regional)
- Reasons the organization are interested in this partnership (motivation),
- Previous learning experiences from working with men (if any – brief),
- What can the organization bring to this work?
- Capacity to deliver the training by the trained staff, without project resources.
- References for the work and leadership of the organization.
Please send the 2 – 3 pages of the application for partnership to:
Magda El Sanousi – Regional Partnership Programme Manager – Middle East, Oxfam GB at: melsanousi@oxfam.org.uk
And
Ghida Anani, Project Co-ordinator, KAFA, at: ghida.anani@kafa.org.lb
Application Deadline: August 31, 2009
D. Dissemination of the partnership call:
Oxfam GB and KAFA will disseminate the call for partnership widely through the members of the Steering Committee of the project and through recognized women’s networks in the region (i.e CAWTAR/ANGAD; KARAMA), in addition to using UNIFEM list of partners to send this call.
E. Selection process:
Oxfam GB and KAFA will select the potential candidates. Oxfam GB and KAFA will invite members from the project Steering Committee for the final selection from the long potential lists.
Oxfam GB and KAFA, acknowledges the capacity at this stage to reach more than 12 organizations in the region due to limited resources. If opportunity arises, more organizations will be included to benefit from this partnership.
F. Note:
Despite the project covers four countries apart from Lebanon, Iraq and OPT will be covered from other sources of funding.
________________________________________
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Lebanon org KAFA calling for partnership with women's orgs
The following is a call for partnership from Lebanese organization KAFA, an organization dedicated to ending violence against women:
Monday, July 13, 2009
Spotlight: Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections
This interview of our spotlight series is with Ziad Abdelsamad of Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE), an organization tasked with observing the June 7, 2009 parliamentary elections for Lebanon.
About election operations for 2009
LADE monitored the elections according to the article 20 of the elections law 25/2008 which says that “Civil Society has the right to monitor and to observe the elections.” This was the first time since its establishment in 1996 that LADE was officially accredited by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
LADE launched the operation on April 2, 2009 during a press conference announcing the readiness to start monitoring the campaigns, including public administration organizing the elections, the candidates and their obedience to the law and the norms, media according to chapter three of the law, and voters’ behaviors.
During this period, LADE issued three reports describing the process and giving a general analysis and overview on the whole operation including severe violations. It is worth noting that LADE documented and registered more than 240 violations - 45 were analyzed, verified and published.
LADE also opened 24 district offices and recruited 45 district coordinators and assistants. The aim of this national network was to establish direct contacts with the local communities, candidates and local authorities. In addition, LADE aimed to reach out to volunteers and to train them through these offices. Its initial target was to recruit 3000 independent volunteers and to train them on the law, methodologies, and techniques of observations.
LADE managed to recruit and to train 3200 volunteers by organizing more than 380 training workshops and to assign among them 2200 volunteer observers.
It is worth noting that LADE used the SMS technique for the first time in the region.
DL: What did your elections observers do? How were they
distributed across the country?
LADE: All volunteer observers were monitoring the election process to ensure the rule of law, and documenting all violations observed. As mentioned above, the targets were the administration, the candidates and their supporters, the media and the voters. Two types of observers were employed on E-day: mobile monitors (1700) whose job was to observe the elections in the polling stations and in their surrounding areas. They had to document all violations and immediately report by SMS the incidents to the central database operational room. The database analysts then analyzed the information and followed up on the critical incidents. As necessary, LADE did report to the Ministry of Interior through its volunteer present inside this public bureau.
The other type of observers were the fixed observers. 400 fixed observer who constituted a representative statistical sample, were present persistently throughout the electoral process duration in the polling stations. Their job was to provide a certain set of data at intervals during the day, from one particular polling station, where they were stationed from opening at 7 am to the end of counting. This representative statistical sample permitted LADE to form projections about the electoral process as a whole. (Why do we go back to critical incidents after talking about fixed observers?)
To assure the right of every citizen to vote, observers were distributed across the Lebanese regions mainly according to their electoral districts. Observers were organized into groups three and rotated then around predetermined three to five polling stations each, depending on factors such as the geographical size of the electoral district and the intensity of the electoral battle.
On the other hand, fixed observers were deployed in encoded and determined polling stations were carefully selected according to preset criteria.
DL: Did observers have previous experience in observing elections? What was the training like prior to Election Day?
LADE: Since elections took place on one day according to the new law, monitoring was made on a much larger scale while comparing it to previous years. LADE was able to recruit around 2500 volunteers, although the initial target was 3000 volunteers. Many of the volunteers monitored in previous elections. Thus, many new volunteers had no previous experience in election observation.
All volunteers, however, had to attend three workshops. The first workshop introduced participants to the new electoral law, highlighted the reforms that made it into this draft and re-enforced observers’ knowledge of the law generally, and those articles that directly affect the monitoring process.
The second workshop trained participants on the monitoring methodology as a whole, and the tools to be used by observers for monitoring electoral campaigns pre-election day (campaign spending and finance, campaign ads and media, etc.) as well as on E-day.
The third workshop explained the deployment strategy, and observers were thoroughly trained on the tools to be used in documenting violations on E-Day, most especially the new SMS technology, which was being employed for the first time in election observation in the Middle East.
DL: An article in The Daily Star stated that LADE had over 2500 volunteers to observe the elections and half of them were university students. How did these students come to volunteer? Did you recruit them from university campuses? Did they volunteer themselves? Did volunteers come from one particular university over another?
LADE: In order to be able to mobilize 3000 volunteer observers, LADE designated a recruitment officer. The recruitment strategy adopted and implemented was namely based on four pillars: 1) recruitment events or seminars held in universities; at the end of which application forms were available for interested participants; 2) recruitment through partner NGOs, who are members of the Lebanese Coalition for the Observation of Elections (CLOE); 3) recruitment through the 24 district offices covering all the electoral districts; 4) through the website, by filling an online application form.
Through this strategy, LADE was able to mobilize more than a thousand university students to volunteer to monitor the elections.
Moreover, CLOE, which includes 55 NGOs and 8 universities played an important role in recruiting and training, as they all hosted recruitment events for LADE or volunteered their premises for training workshops.
DL: Did volunteers tend to have experience living or visiting the US or Europe that may have contributed to their interest in election observation?
LADE: LADE started working since 1996. It observed 4 parliamentary elections (1996, 2000, 2005, and 2009) in addition to two partial elections 2002 (in north Metn) and 2007 (in north Metn and Beirut) and two municipal elections (1998 and 2004) in addition to one partial election in 2002, (that took place after the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation form the Lebanese occupied territories).
In all these periods, LADE used to mobilize number of Lebanese volunteering, including a few of the non-residents, but the large majority of the volunteers are resident Lebanese most of them had little to no experience traveling or living abroad.
However, LADE used the exchange programs with many of its partners in order to compile experiences and to improve the performance, many of LADEs members participated in observation teams abroad thanks to these programs. This helped in elaborating and developing new methodologies and efficient strategies.
DL: Could you talk a little about youth involvement in politics in general? Is there a lot of youth activism? Do you see a change in involvement in this generation compared to the last? Do youth volunteer for particular party campaigns, or is activism more along the lines of reform in general?
LADE: Youth play a major role among civil society organizations, including campaigns that Lebanon witnessed recently. This reflects a clear evolution in the work of CSOs in different cases and shows the readiness of the youth.
It is worth noting that young peoples’ concerns were not in a single campaign but one should mention that attention was with greater response to the campaign for electoral reforms. This emerged clearly in the “Civil Campaign for Electoral Reforms” (CCER), which is a campaign launched by LADE and many other CSOs to meet the reform efforts of the Lebanese government in 2006. Lowering the voting age was one of the main principles adopted by CCER. Although this reform did not pass in the current law, the process that needs a constitutional amendment has started and will be most probably implemented during the next municipal elections in 2010.
Young people are involved in other campaigns such the campaign for a new citizenship law, the campaign for a new civil code in Lebanon, beside many others.
DL: What lessons did you learn from the 2009 election observation experience? Is there anything that LADE will do differently next time around?
LADE: Many lessons LADE learned from this experience, since a new methodology was implemented for the first time according to the new reforms included in the law:
According to all the above mentioned, LADE learned a lot from this experience and will take into consideration a lot of the lessons learned and success stories. A comprehensive evaluation process is undergoing and a lot of recommendations should be adopted in order to improve the performance of the association.
Safadi Foundation USA thanks Mr. Abdelsamad for answering our questions and congratulates LADE for a job well done.
About election operations for 2009
LADE monitored the elections according to the article 20 of the elections law 25/2008 which says that “Civil Society has the right to monitor and to observe the elections.” This was the first time since its establishment in 1996 that LADE was officially accredited by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
LADE launched the operation on April 2, 2009 during a press conference announcing the readiness to start monitoring the campaigns, including public administration organizing the elections, the candidates and their obedience to the law and the norms, media according to chapter three of the law, and voters’ behaviors.
During this period, LADE issued three reports describing the process and giving a general analysis and overview on the whole operation including severe violations. It is worth noting that LADE documented and registered more than 240 violations - 45 were analyzed, verified and published.
LADE also opened 24 district offices and recruited 45 district coordinators and assistants. The aim of this national network was to establish direct contacts with the local communities, candidates and local authorities. In addition, LADE aimed to reach out to volunteers and to train them through these offices. Its initial target was to recruit 3000 independent volunteers and to train them on the law, methodologies, and techniques of observations.
LADE managed to recruit and to train 3200 volunteers by organizing more than 380 training workshops and to assign among them 2200 volunteer observers.
It is worth noting that LADE used the SMS technique for the first time in the region.
DL: What did your elections observers do? How were they
distributed across the country?
LADE: All volunteer observers were monitoring the election process to ensure the rule of law, and documenting all violations observed. As mentioned above, the targets were the administration, the candidates and their supporters, the media and the voters. Two types of observers were employed on E-day: mobile monitors (1700) whose job was to observe the elections in the polling stations and in their surrounding areas. They had to document all violations and immediately report by SMS the incidents to the central database operational room. The database analysts then analyzed the information and followed up on the critical incidents. As necessary, LADE did report to the Ministry of Interior through its volunteer present inside this public bureau.
The other type of observers were the fixed observers. 400 fixed observer who constituted a representative statistical sample, were present persistently throughout the electoral process duration in the polling stations. Their job was to provide a certain set of data at intervals during the day, from one particular polling station, where they were stationed from opening at 7 am to the end of counting. This representative statistical sample permitted LADE to form projections about the electoral process as a whole. (Why do we go back to critical incidents after talking about fixed observers?)
To assure the right of every citizen to vote, observers were distributed across the Lebanese regions mainly according to their electoral districts. Observers were organized into groups three and rotated then around predetermined three to five polling stations each, depending on factors such as the geographical size of the electoral district and the intensity of the electoral battle.
On the other hand, fixed observers were deployed in encoded and determined polling stations were carefully selected according to preset criteria.
DL: Did observers have previous experience in observing elections? What was the training like prior to Election Day?
LADE: Since elections took place on one day according to the new law, monitoring was made on a much larger scale while comparing it to previous years. LADE was able to recruit around 2500 volunteers, although the initial target was 3000 volunteers. Many of the volunteers monitored in previous elections. Thus, many new volunteers had no previous experience in election observation.
All volunteers, however, had to attend three workshops. The first workshop introduced participants to the new electoral law, highlighted the reforms that made it into this draft and re-enforced observers’ knowledge of the law generally, and those articles that directly affect the monitoring process.
The second workshop trained participants on the monitoring methodology as a whole, and the tools to be used by observers for monitoring electoral campaigns pre-election day (campaign spending and finance, campaign ads and media, etc.) as well as on E-day.
The third workshop explained the deployment strategy, and observers were thoroughly trained on the tools to be used in documenting violations on E-Day, most especially the new SMS technology, which was being employed for the first time in election observation in the Middle East.
DL: An article in The Daily Star stated that LADE had over 2500 volunteers to observe the elections and half of them were university students. How did these students come to volunteer? Did you recruit them from university campuses? Did they volunteer themselves? Did volunteers come from one particular university over another?
LADE: In order to be able to mobilize 3000 volunteer observers, LADE designated a recruitment officer. The recruitment strategy adopted and implemented was namely based on four pillars: 1) recruitment events or seminars held in universities; at the end of which application forms were available for interested participants; 2) recruitment through partner NGOs, who are members of the Lebanese Coalition for the Observation of Elections (CLOE); 3) recruitment through the 24 district offices covering all the electoral districts; 4) through the website, by filling an online application form.
Through this strategy, LADE was able to mobilize more than a thousand university students to volunteer to monitor the elections.
Moreover, CLOE, which includes 55 NGOs and 8 universities played an important role in recruiting and training, as they all hosted recruitment events for LADE or volunteered their premises for training workshops.
DL: Did volunteers tend to have experience living or visiting the US or Europe that may have contributed to their interest in election observation?
LADE: LADE started working since 1996. It observed 4 parliamentary elections (1996, 2000, 2005, and 2009) in addition to two partial elections 2002 (in north Metn) and 2007 (in north Metn and Beirut) and two municipal elections (1998 and 2004) in addition to one partial election in 2002, (that took place after the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation form the Lebanese occupied territories).
In all these periods, LADE used to mobilize number of Lebanese volunteering, including a few of the non-residents, but the large majority of the volunteers are resident Lebanese most of them had little to no experience traveling or living abroad.
However, LADE used the exchange programs with many of its partners in order to compile experiences and to improve the performance, many of LADEs members participated in observation teams abroad thanks to these programs. This helped in elaborating and developing new methodologies and efficient strategies.
DL: Could you talk a little about youth involvement in politics in general? Is there a lot of youth activism? Do you see a change in involvement in this generation compared to the last? Do youth volunteer for particular party campaigns, or is activism more along the lines of reform in general?
LADE: Youth play a major role among civil society organizations, including campaigns that Lebanon witnessed recently. This reflects a clear evolution in the work of CSOs in different cases and shows the readiness of the youth.
It is worth noting that young peoples’ concerns were not in a single campaign but one should mention that attention was with greater response to the campaign for electoral reforms. This emerged clearly in the “Civil Campaign for Electoral Reforms” (CCER), which is a campaign launched by LADE and many other CSOs to meet the reform efforts of the Lebanese government in 2006. Lowering the voting age was one of the main principles adopted by CCER. Although this reform did not pass in the current law, the process that needs a constitutional amendment has started and will be most probably implemented during the next municipal elections in 2010.
Young people are involved in other campaigns such the campaign for a new citizenship law, the campaign for a new civil code in Lebanon, beside many others.
DL: What lessons did you learn from the 2009 election observation experience? Is there anything that LADE will do differently next time around?
LADE: Many lessons LADE learned from this experience, since a new methodology was implemented for the first time according to the new reforms included in the law:
- It was the first time that LADE monitored the elections in one day in all the country; this means that the deployment strategy should take into consideration the ability to cover all the district in one day.
- Then it was the first time that LADE monitored the elections with an explicit recognition of its role in the law (according to the article 20). This led to the elaboration of a different strategy for coordination with the governmental and public organizers, the voters and candidates.
- It was the first time the law includes ceiling for campaign spending and norms for media and advertising; consequently LADE monitored the campaigns led by the candidates starting two months prior to the E-day.
According to all the above mentioned, LADE learned a lot from this experience and will take into consideration a lot of the lessons learned and success stories. A comprehensive evaluation process is undergoing and a lot of recommendations should be adopted in order to improve the performance of the association.
Safadi Foundation USA thanks Mr. Abdelsamad for answering our questions and congratulates LADE for a job well done.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Friday Roundup
Friday Roundup is a weekly blog post in which Safadi Foundation USA publishes a roundup of civil society's activities for the week. The goal is to spread the word about these activities and help civil society organizations learn from each other's experiences.
Youth Association for Social Awareness urges government to curb bribery in driving examinations. Check out Developing Lebanon's profile of YASA here.
"Tomorrow when we return" Palestinian children art exhibit at Ghassan Kanafani Cultural Foundation.
Environmental issues rarely covered by Arab press.
Lebanon has 100,000 child victims of labor and trafficking, highest proportion of children ages 10-17 in the world.
The Citizen - the newsletter of the citizen Lebanon community.
Les ONG : quels acteurs sont-ils, quel est leur rôle?
Discussion Seminar: Gender and Care Work in Lebanon.
UNDP Lebanon National Human Development Report: Towards A Citizen's State.
Lebanese Transparency Association (LTA) says there were many violations during Lebanon election.
Major reforms needed to reduce Lebanon's unemployment.
IndyAct has a new blog.
NY Times covers Beirut Art Center.
Does media ignore NGOs or is it the other way around?
UN office in Beirut begins training seminar on human rights.
RT: @SawtAshabab: OpenSesame Events! Drupal, Linux... Another good meeting for the OpenSesame.
International Labor Organization's 2009 Report on gender equality.
The Future of Democracy Support: NDI speech.
Statement of NDI election observer delegation to Lebanon election and listen to NPR's story on the election.
Lebanon: Women want greater political representation.
Equality Without Reservation campaign.
Call for Papers from Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab World at LAU.
The Afkar Program: Perseverance & Results to be held Friday, July 10.
International Bureau of Children's Rights June newsletter.
Human Rights and the Role of NGOs Today conference w Boutros Boutros Ghali.
Development study shows 10% higher literacy rate in Beirut than Bekaa.
Become a Facebook fan of Developing Lebanon!
NGOs ask why media ignores their work. SafadiUSA does not ignore their work and wants to help publicize it!
Do you love your grandparents? Then you should love Kibarouna!
Youth Association for Social Awareness urges government to curb bribery in driving examinations. Check out Developing Lebanon's profile of YASA here.
"Tomorrow when we return" Palestinian children art exhibit at Ghassan Kanafani Cultural Foundation.
Environmental issues rarely covered by Arab press.
Lebanon has 100,000 child victims of labor and trafficking, highest proportion of children ages 10-17 in the world.
The Citizen - the newsletter of the citizen Lebanon community.
Les ONG : quels acteurs sont-ils, quel est leur rôle?
Discussion Seminar: Gender and Care Work in Lebanon.
UNDP Lebanon National Human Development Report: Towards A Citizen's State.
Lebanese Transparency Association (LTA) says there were many violations during Lebanon election.
Major reforms needed to reduce Lebanon's unemployment.
IndyAct has a new blog.
NY Times covers Beirut Art Center.
Does media ignore NGOs or is it the other way around?
UN office in Beirut begins training seminar on human rights.
RT: @SawtAshabab: OpenSesame Events! Drupal, Linux... Another good meeting for the OpenSesame.
International Labor Organization's 2009 Report on gender equality.
The Future of Democracy Support: NDI speech.
Statement of NDI election observer delegation to Lebanon election and listen to NPR's story on the election.
Lebanon: Women want greater political representation.
Equality Without Reservation campaign.
Call for Papers from Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab World at LAU.
The Afkar Program: Perseverance & Results to be held Friday, July 10.
International Bureau of Children's Rights June newsletter.
Human Rights and the Role of NGOs Today conference w Boutros Boutros Ghali.
Development study shows 10% higher literacy rate in Beirut than Bekaa.
Become a Facebook fan of Developing Lebanon!
NGOs ask why media ignores their work. SafadiUSA does not ignore their work and wants to help publicize it!
Do you love your grandparents? Then you should love Kibarouna!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Event Announcement: Discussion Seminar on Gender and Care Work in Lebanon
CRTD.A in partnership with UNIFEM – Arab States Sub Regional Office
Discussion Seminar on Gender and Care Work in Lebanon
YWCA || Thursday, July 16, 2009
Dear friends and colleagues,
CRTD.A is pleased to invite you to its first interactive discussion seminar entitled: “Gender and Care Work: A contribution to the Lebanese economy”. This seminar is organized in partnership with UNIFEM-Arab States Sub-Regional Office and within the framework of the Women’s Political Leadership and Economic Empowerment for Peace Building Programme.
The seminar will be held on Wednesday, 16th of July from 9:30 am to 13 pm at the YWCA premises in Ain el Mraisseh.
The seminar aims at creating space for interactive discussion on the concept and practice of women’s care work, the ways in which care work is determined by prevailing relations of gender within the household and the community and the contribution of care work towards the economy in Lebanon and towards women’s economic empowerment.
The seminar will be in the form of an interactive discussion and will use specific illustrations from a number of communities. We will be sharing with participants insights and contributions collected from women in these communities on various aspects on care and household work. Participants will be invited to comment and share ideas about these issues.
CRTD.A will share with you potential follow-up to this event.
Kindly confirm your attendance by sending an email to dnaserdeen@crtda.org.lb no later than Tuesday 14th of July. For more information, contact Ms. Daad Nasreddine on 01-397813
We look forward to your participation in this exciting event.
Sincerely,
CRTDA
Discussion Seminar on Gender and Care Work in Lebanon
YWCA || Thursday, July 16, 2009
Dear friends and colleagues,
CRTD.A is pleased to invite you to its first interactive discussion seminar entitled: “Gender and Care Work: A contribution to the Lebanese economy”. This seminar is organized in partnership with UNIFEM-Arab States Sub-Regional Office and within the framework of the Women’s Political Leadership and Economic Empowerment for Peace Building Programme.
The seminar will be held on Wednesday, 16th of July from 9:30 am to 13 pm at the YWCA premises in Ain el Mraisseh.
The seminar aims at creating space for interactive discussion on the concept and practice of women’s care work, the ways in which care work is determined by prevailing relations of gender within the household and the community and the contribution of care work towards the economy in Lebanon and towards women’s economic empowerment.
The seminar will be in the form of an interactive discussion and will use specific illustrations from a number of communities. We will be sharing with participants insights and contributions collected from women in these communities on various aspects on care and household work. Participants will be invited to comment and share ideas about these issues.
CRTD.A will share with you potential follow-up to this event.
Kindly confirm your attendance by sending an email to dnaserdeen@crtda.org.lb no later than Tuesday 14th of July. For more information, contact Ms. Daad Nasreddine on 01-397813
We look forward to your participation in this exciting event.
Sincerely,
CRTDA
Monday, July 6, 2009
Does the media ignore civil society or is it the other way around?
The Daily Star posted an article yesterday about how NGOs are asking journalists why the media ignores their work. The French-based Medecins du monde held a roundtable discussion on this exact topic. Many reasons were given, including:
There are additional reasons for the lack of NGO coverage in the media that have nothing to do with the West. The fact is, much of Lebanese civil society sprung up in the nineties in the post-Taif environment when Lebanon was trying to get back on its feet. Two decades have not yet passed for many NGOs, and two decades is not enough time to institutionalize anything, especially when another conflict breaks out in the meantime. With so many new organizations in the country, many of them simply haven't built the capacity for public relations.
NGOs might be ignoring media, rather than the other way around. Because they have not been around that long, many don't understand how to develop media relations or the importance of publicizing their work through the press. Often, the NGOs themselves are politicized, which can hurt their ability to get mainstream media coverage and narrows the range of their coverage to those news sources that are inline with their own view, even if the NGO is doing work that helps more than just one confessional group.
Good media relations are imperative to the success of an NGO's mission. Not only does it serve to raise awareness about an organization's activities, but it can help connect donors with fundraisers and connect experts to the organizations that need them.
NGOs can look beyond traditional media, too. Blogs and social networking sites are effective ways to spread awareness about an organization and its activities. However, they do not replace traditional media. Newspapers, whether in physical or virtual form, are the most widely read news sources, and television news enters far more homes than any blog or Facebook site do.
So what do you think? Does the media ignore civil society, or is it the other way around?
I suspect it's a little bit of both.
- Western NGOs are seen as complicit in their governments' pro-Israel stance
- Challenges resulting from having to protect humanitarian workers' safety
- Information overload
There are additional reasons for the lack of NGO coverage in the media that have nothing to do with the West. The fact is, much of Lebanese civil society sprung up in the nineties in the post-Taif environment when Lebanon was trying to get back on its feet. Two decades have not yet passed for many NGOs, and two decades is not enough time to institutionalize anything, especially when another conflict breaks out in the meantime. With so many new organizations in the country, many of them simply haven't built the capacity for public relations.
NGOs might be ignoring media, rather than the other way around. Because they have not been around that long, many don't understand how to develop media relations or the importance of publicizing their work through the press. Often, the NGOs themselves are politicized, which can hurt their ability to get mainstream media coverage and narrows the range of their coverage to those news sources that are inline with their own view, even if the NGO is doing work that helps more than just one confessional group.
Good media relations are imperative to the success of an NGO's mission. Not only does it serve to raise awareness about an organization's activities, but it can help connect donors with fundraisers and connect experts to the organizations that need them.
NGOs can look beyond traditional media, too. Blogs and social networking sites are effective ways to spread awareness about an organization and its activities. However, they do not replace traditional media. Newspapers, whether in physical or virtual form, are the most widely read news sources, and television news enters far more homes than any blog or Facebook site do.
So what do you think? Does the media ignore civil society, or is it the other way around?
I suspect it's a little bit of both.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Spotlight Organization: Kibarouna
Welcome to the our weekly Spotlight series in which we profile Lebanese civil society organizations and spread awareness about their activities and events. This week's profile goes to Kibarouna, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of social life of elderly people in Lebanon. Kibarouna addresses all Lebanese men and women from 65 years old and above who are still relatively physically independent and live with their families or alone."Kibarouna believes that elderly people are our senior citizens who represent our national treasure of heritage, values, and expertise. We need them as much as they need us."
DL: How long has Kibarouna been in existence? In what parts of Lebanon do you operate?
K: Kibarouna was founded in September 2005. We are a Lebanese NGO for all Lebanon. Currently it operates in Mount Lebanon: North Metn in Bikfaya Elderly Club.
DL: What types of activities and projects does Kibarouna undertake?
K: a) A Social Club: in Bekfaya once a week opened to elderly women and men who take part in different social activities such as:
- Attending awareness sessions presented by specialists such as doctors and nutritionists to heighten awareness regarding healthy eating.
- Exercising with a physiotherapist in groups to maintain flexible joints.
- Engaging in handicraft activities to work fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
- Playing cards to work short term memory.
- Elderly are transported free of charge and are offered breakfast. These have been beautiful times cherished by the elderly participants. A lot of fun goes on, and some elderly
- express their joy by singing and dancing the Dabke.
b) Trips: monthly trips to different parts of Lebanon where elderly spend a day and lunch together. The lunch is prepared by Kibarouna volunteers and about sixty elderly join this activity.
c) Social Outings: Trips to art exhibitions, theatre, etc. For example, this year a group of about forty seniors accompanied by Kibarouna attended a George Khabbaz musical and visited the Garden Show at the Hippodrome in Beirut.
d) A Summer Camp: In cooperation with other social organizations, a group of 40 elderly from disadvantaged backgrounds are selected to take part in a summer camp. Besides Kibarouna members, other volunteers such as nurses, a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, and a social animator who help support this group are recruited from Saint Joseph University.
e) Grandparents Day: This is an occasion which builds a nationwide awareness about the valuable role of grandparents and promotes a sense of recognition of their achievement. It intends to promote a positive relationship between the youth and their grandparents.
Kibarouna invites elderly centers, institutions, and organizations who care for elderly people to celebrate the occasion. The invitees, about eight hundred, attend a show presented by famous singers and artists. All elderly people receive a “packed brunch” and a symbolic gift.
DL: There doesn’t seem to be many organizations in Lebanon who deal strictly with caring for the elderly. Is your organization’s mission unique to the country?
K: We believe that Kibarouna mission is unique in Lebanon in the way that it stresses empowering the elderly, both by maximizing their social interaction with others and connecting them to youth.
First we are working on changing how the elderly are perceived in Lebanon. People in general look at the elderly as being dependent, weak, unable to produce, and perhaps perceive them with some pity.
Kibarouna believes that the elderly have a wealth of experience and skills that need to be tapped.
DL: I see you are promoting June 28th as Grandparents Day. How many years have you celebrated Grandparents Day? What activities will you undertake to celebrate this day?K: In 1999, the National Committee for Elderly Care And Protection announced that the last Sunday of June is “Grandparents Day.” Grandparents Day was celebrated by Kibarouna two times in the past:
2006 Forum de Beirut attended by one thousand five hundred Grandparents.
2007 Cancelled because of the situation in Lebanon.
2008 in Kanat Bakish – a small celebration was held because of the situation (three hundred attended a Brunch).
2009 - This year on June 26 about seven hundred fifty elderly people attended.
DL: What do you hope to accomplish in the near future and the long-term?K: We hope to achieve the following:
- Empowering the elderly to overcome their weaknesses, social isolation, and feelings of being abused.
- Acknowledging elderly achievements, value their roles, and support them to attain their rights.
- Mentoring families of the elderly to acquire the necessary skills for caring and answering the elderly needs.
- Creating opportunities for encounters and connection between the elderly and youth in Lebanon.
For more reading and a photo albums please click here. Photos are from Grandparents Day 2009, courtesy of Kibarouna.
Safadi Foundation USA thanks Kibarouna for taking the time to answer our questions. Please visit Kibarouna's website to learn more about the organization and discover ways you can help empower the elderly and create awareness about the value of Lebanon's senior citizens.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Friday Roundup
@SamerKaram: Lebanon & MENA Economic Reports just released for Week 26 of 2009.
RT @habibh NPR's story on Yamli, listen to it live on All Things Considered "Search Engine Helps Users Connect In Arabic."
Why Civil Society Is Important to Democracy, Reason #68,000.
RT: @SamerKaram: RT @StarSceneLB: New project promotes Jeita Grotto as World Wonder.
Maya Zankoul releases book. Get it now and LOL.
Photo contest 2009 - Promoting Gender Equality in Education.
RT: @sugarpoppy: Cancer awareness theme of contest by San Ignacio de Loyola University. Check work of Lebanese students.
MENA Businesswomen's Network elects first group of officers. Lebanon's is Lebanese League for Women in Business
Progress and setback in graft fight, says World Bank. Lebanon is getting worse.
Palestinian Refugee Protection Project in Lebanon calling for concept papers.
Study on disaster risk reduction in Lebanon - view report here.
If you missed our interview with Youth Association for Social Awareness, here it is.
RT: @demvidchallenge: Question: In 1 word (maybe 2), what is the most important thing needed for a democracy to thrive?
MCC, MEPI, OTI, NED, & UN Democracy Fund all cut in 2010 Appropriations Bill.
Check out Developing Lebanon's profile on Youth Association for Social Awareness. They're doing great work on road safety in Lebanon.
Beeatoona, Green Line, DPNA, IndyACT mentioned in latest post about environment in Lebanon.
GRAVITY! Just brilliant!
Sawt Ashabab's closing party pics. The future is near.
RT: @dmnabti: Sushi TweetUp - the first Twitter meetup in Lebanon.
Friday Roundup is a weekly blog post in which Safadi Foundation USA publishes a roundup of civil society's activities for the week. The goal is to spread the word about these activities and help civil society organizations learn from each other's experiences.
RT @habibh NPR's story on Yamli, listen to it live on All Things Considered "Search Engine Helps Users Connect In Arabic."
Why Civil Society Is Important to Democracy, Reason #68,000.
RT: @SamerKaram: RT @StarSceneLB: New project promotes Jeita Grotto as World Wonder.
Maya Zankoul releases book. Get it now and LOL.
Photo contest 2009 - Promoting Gender Equality in Education.
RT: @sugarpoppy: Cancer awareness theme of contest by San Ignacio de Loyola University. Check work of Lebanese students.
MENA Businesswomen's Network elects first group of officers. Lebanon's is Lebanese League for Women in Business
Progress and setback in graft fight, says World Bank. Lebanon is getting worse.
Palestinian Refugee Protection Project in Lebanon calling for concept papers.
Study on disaster risk reduction in Lebanon - view report here.
If you missed our interview with Youth Association for Social Awareness, here it is.
RT: @demvidchallenge: Question: In 1 word (maybe 2), what is the most important thing needed for a democracy to thrive?
MCC, MEPI, OTI, NED, & UN Democracy Fund all cut in 2010 Appropriations Bill.
Check out Developing Lebanon's profile on Youth Association for Social Awareness. They're doing great work on road safety in Lebanon.
Beeatoona, Green Line, DPNA, IndyACT mentioned in latest post about environment in Lebanon.
GRAVITY! Just brilliant!
Sawt Ashabab's closing party pics. The future is near.
RT: @dmnabti: Sushi TweetUp - the first Twitter meetup in Lebanon.
Friday Roundup is a weekly blog post in which Safadi Foundation USA publishes a roundup of civil society's activities for the week. The goal is to spread the word about these activities and help civil society organizations learn from each other's experiences.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Plastic Bags and Entrepreneurship
This video is about a business being run in Kenya. So how does this relate to Lebanon?
The Lebanese use over 6 billion plastic bags annually, according to Waste Lb. "If tied together these bags would form a chain that is long enough to go around the world 37 times."Last week, a company called Waste Lb started to sell reusable bags at Souk El Tayeb, a farmer's market in Beirut.
But what about all of those plastic bags that will continue to be used? Perhaps there is an aspiring entrepreneur somewhere in Lebanon who can replicate Evans Githinji's success in Kenya in turning plastic bags into field posts and support beams.
Hat tip to We Play Green.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Evan's Corner: The Iranian Presidential Elections: What Do They Tell Us?
The Woodrow Wilson Center
The Iranian Presidential Elections: What Do They Tell Us?
6.30.09
On Tuesday June 30th, the Woodrow Wilson Center hosted a discussion entitled “The Iranian Presidential Elections: What Do They Tell Us?” The speakers included renowned journalist and WWC policy scholar, Robin Wright; independent scholar, Farideh Farhi; senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Fariborz Ghadar; and political editor for The National in Abu Dhabi, Emile El-Hokayem. WWC’s own Sam Wells moderated the discussion.
Mr. Wells prompted the speakers with a series of important questions regarding the accuracy of the media's presentation of recent events in Iran. Robin Wright spoke first about what is clear and what is still unknown.
Wright started by pointing out that the election itself and the peaceful protests following it were a “political showdown.” However, the following violence represented a “physical showdown” that elevated the stakes of the conflict from a disputed election to the legitimacy of the Supreme Leader. Wright noted the use of Twitter and Facebook by opposition members. Wright also pointed out that even before the elections, the internet had connected Iranians to the rest of the world and filled them with growing desire to be more economically prosperous and socially free. Wright argued that today’s opposition movement is “very distinct” from the student movements of the late 90’s. Wright asserted that the opposition has a broad base that cuts across class and age. Maybe most significantly, the opposition also has the support of many powerful clergy members. Despite this, Wright warned that the regime has an equally potent coalition and controls the para-military forces that are at their most powerful since the revolution. Wright went on to explain the vulnerability of both sides. The opposition is vulnerable because of its lack of leadership. Mousavi has always been an accidental leader and may lack the charisma to lead such the opposition. If Mousavi proves ineffective at capturing momentum, the opposition may have to look elsewhere for leadership. The regime's vulnerability is a lack of unity. Wright illustrated that there are fissures within the highest levels of clergy, and the revolutionary guard may also be split on which side to support. Wright summed up her assessment by noting that however long the regime can succeed in suppressing the opposition, “the genie is out of the bottle.”
Farideh Farhi began her analysis by saying that the events following the election have been “the most significant” in Iran since the revolution, surpassing the rise of reformist policies and even the Iran-Iraq war. Farhi stated very clearly her belief that the election was not merely manipulated, but “completely cooked.” In her view, the regime predicted a typical turnout of 60% of the Iranian electorate, with better turnout among conservatives. In this scenario, a 2/3 majority for Ahmadinejad might make sense. However, Farhi explained that when a much greater number of Iranians showed up to vote, mobilized by opposition rallies, the regime failed to adjust their numbers to account for such broad participation. Farhi noted key miscalculations on the part of both the regime and the opposition. The opposition miscalculated by believing that although there would be vote manipulation of a few million votes, a more massive manipulation would not occur. The regime miscalculated by believing that a cynical electorate would not show up and vote for a reform candidate. Farhi also stated that Khamenei’s Friday prayer speech was not consistent with his supposed tendency to stay out of politics. Khamenei’s endorsement of both Ahmadinejad and the use of violence against protesters has shaken the legitimacy of his leadership. Farhi argued that Khamenei’s legacy will no longer be about standing up to the United States, but instead about suppressing his own people.
In addition to his post at CSIS, Foriborz Ghadar is the founding director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Global Business Studies. Ghadar shed some light on the role of the economy fomenting discontent in Iran. Ghadar illustrated that crude oil production has increased in recent years, but not as quickly as domestic consumption has grown. As a result, much of the oil is not exported, and GDP growth has been “erratic.” Ghadar also argued that some widely reported statistics about Iran’s economy seem implausible. For example, unemployment has been reported somewhere in the teens, but Ghadar believes it really lies in the twenties. Coupled with 20% inflation this gives Iran a misery index somewhere in the forties, higher than it ever was in the United States during the Great Depression. Ghadar also explained that although the government directly accounts for about 35% of Iran’s economy, the government indirectly controls another 30% through patronage. Ahmadinejad has garnered some popular support by dolling out oil money to the poor, and reformers would like to distribute government revenue in other ways. Ghadar seemed to be saying that one of the things reformers are fighting for is the ability to get control of the government purse, and invest the money with their own allies and patrons. Ghadar suggested that control of this money is a crucial element of the current conflict in Iran.
Emile El-Hokayem was able to offer the perspective of the Arab states on Iran. El-Hokayem claimed that many Arab states have always considered Iran a military dictatorship, and recent events have simply “lifted the veil of Iranian democracy.” Gulf leaders had been disappointed in the past by Iran’s reformers, such as former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami. El-Hokayem shared that many gulf leaders are wary of Mousavi, or any reform candidate that may improve relations with the United States. The American alignment with Sunni power structures and Israel has worked for many gulf-states, and a shift in this relationship may threaten their interests.
The speakers also addressed the nuclear issue and seemed to have some degree of consensus. Robin Wright argued that before the election, Khamenei had several “trump cards” to play against the United States in negotiations over the nuclear program. The speakers seemed to agree that Iran is already enriching uranium, and the United States would likely have to acquiesce to at least accepting nuclear energy in Iran. Wright also pointed out that Ahmadinejad might prompt negotiation with the Obama administration, putting the new American government in the excruciating position of choosing between progress on the nuclear issue and support of democratic reformers.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Why Civil Society Is Important to Democracy, Reason #68,000
When Lebanon took to the polls on June 7 of this year, the elections were hailed as free and fair and transparent, all qualities necessary for legitimacy. But there was one group who was denied the right to vote. Josie Ensor writes:
A civil society organization called Lebanese Physically Handicapped Union wants to change that situation in Lebanon.
There are approximately 68,000 Lebanese voters registered as disabled with the Ministry of Social Affairs, but with most polling stations held in buildings unsuitable for wheelchairs many could not reach the polling booths.In countries like the United States, civil society organizations advocating for the disabled, such as the American Association of People with Disabilities, have managed to eliminate many of the obstacles that disabled people once faced. While many people go to the polls, cast their votes, and return home, satisfied that they have made their contributions to the democratic process, there are so many things that can make a seemingly good election go bad. Having a polling station on the second floor of a building without an elevator, while it may go unnoticed to an able-bodied person, is effectively a denial of the right to vote to some people. And denying any person the right to vote makes for an unfair election.
A civil society organization called Lebanese Physically Handicapped Union wants to change that situation in Lebanon.
LPHU is a non-profit organization of people with physical disabilities that has been working on disability issues since 1981. This grassroots organization is national in scope and includes community branches in six areas of Lebanon (Beirut, Byblos, Bar Elias, Mashgara, Nabatieh and Saida). LPHU is a national, non-sectarian organization and involves people from different religious groups and with various forms of physical disability...There are two main fields of work of the organization: advocacy to raise awareness of the rights of people with disabilities in order to ensure their integration and raise equalization of opportunities; and community based development projects including physical rehabilitation, inclusive education and vocational rehabilitation.LPHU is actively involved in the elections process and conducted a study of accessibility during the recent elections. The results were astounding:
Lebanese Physically Handicapped Union, sponsored by the International Foundation for Election Systems, conducted a study of the 1,741 polling stations in Lebanon and assessed them according to the ministry’s six accessibility criteria. The results revealed that only six polling stations – less that half of 1% - out of 1,741 satisfied all the accessibility criteria.Next step: using the results of the study to implement laws requiring access for all voters.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Spotlight Organization: Youth Association for Social Awareness
Welcome to the inaugural edition of our weekly Spotlight series in which we profile Lebanese civil society organizations and spread awareness about their activities and events. Our first profile goes to Youth Association for Social Awareness, an organization dedicated to educating youth about road safety.
DL: What are the biggest safety concerns in Lebanon today? How is YASA addressing these concerns?
YASA: The biggest safety concern is the growing number of deaths due to road traffic crashes. Year after year this number is still increasing and with no immediate intervention it is expected to continue increasing to more alarming figures.
YASA is working on various aspects to help address this issue. YASA is lobbying for better laws, better enforcement, better road safety standards and more. We are also working on educating the upcoming generation on safety issues.
DL: YASA has many traffic safety programs for very young children. Why is it important to educate children about traffic safety years before they will drive?
YASA: “Safety starts with an attitude” - for this reason it is essential to expose and educate young children on safety issues and specifically road/traffic safety issues to help bring up a generation more aware of traffic safety issues. Moreover by doing interventions for young children, YASA would be able to enter many more homes through the children than any other way.
YASA believes that exposing children to road safety issues from their early years will impact them greatly when they reach the age of getting their driving license. It will also influence the parents through the children.
DL: Why is it important to try and entertain children while educating them? How does this help promote the messages of safety and accident prevention?
YASA: All YASA interventions for children focus on education through entertainment since this is known to help engrave the safety messages in the minds of the young kids. Mixing safety education with entertainment is the best way to successfully deliver the message to children and make them memorize it and transfer it to the parents as well.
DL: Are Lebanese traffic laws still outdated? In areas where the law is not outdated, is it well implemented?
YASA: The Lebanese traffic law dates back to the 60s and has very weak implementation. The problem with implementation is that it is seasonal and not continuous.
DL: Is it difficult to address more sensitive safety issues such as alcohol abuse, or child neglect and/or abuse? How can youth organizations begin to raise dialogue about these social taboos?
YASA: When YASA started raising the issue of Road Safety, the issue was never addressed by anyone in Lebanon except us. Even the news did not cover traffic crashes and deaths and the reason behind this is that people did not feel the level of its burden. It took a lot of work to make people start seeing the problem and its consequences. We believe that when there is a will there is a way to address and follow up on a concern or issue. Other sensitive issues such as alcohol abuse and child neglect and abuse have started to surface from the taboo side but still needs a lot of work and perseverance. We cannot neglect the issue that in some communities alcohol is forbidden but there is great need to address the issue of abuse to help the problem come to the surface and be handled properly rather than staying a taboo and spreading quietly among people.
DL: What is YASA’s role in disaster relief?
YASA: YASA works hard on injury prevention so our work is focused on the stage before the incident, however we saw the need to address the incident itself so we worked on the disaster management aspect too. We aim in our work to help the disaster response teams unit efforts and practice before they are faced by real situations.
DL: What are YASA’s strategies in making its awareness campaigns successful? Have conferences, seminars, and TV ads had a statistically measurable impact on accidents and injuries on the road?
YASA: YASA works on various ways to optimize the campaigns’ impact. All through the years we have organized and participated in conferences and seminars. YASA has also produced various safety spots and documentaries that were broadcast on local and regional TV stations, and were also viewed in conferences and seminars. All these were done to help promote a safer behavior and help reduce the burden of injuries due to traffic crashes. It is evident that campaigns alone do not work, and when we want to address the issue of Road Safety we need to address what we know as 6Es: Education, Engineering, Emergency, Enforcement, Evaluation and Encouragement. (More details on the 6Es can be found at www.yasa.org.)
Education is the part that is done with the students and in seminars, lectures and various interventions.
Engineering is the reflection of the safety on the roads from signing, lining, lighting to safety in road work zones and more.
Enforcement is the strict and continuous law enforcement and the updating of existing laws to meet the changes in the road and vehicles.
Emergency is the preparedness of the emergency teams to respond to an emergency situation and how to handle it in timely manner.
Evaluation is the step where you need to stop and assess what has been done and what should be done.
Encouragement is asking people to ask what the people in charge have done and if they worked to reduce the burden they should be acknowledged and if not they should be accounted for.
Safadi Foundation USA thanks YASA for taking the time to answer our questions. Please visit YASA's website to learn more about the organization and discover ways you can help youth understand road safety issues.
DL: What are the biggest safety concerns in Lebanon today? How is YASA addressing these concerns?
YASA: The biggest safety concern is the growing number of deaths due to road traffic crashes. Year after year this number is still increasing and with no immediate intervention it is expected to continue increasing to more alarming figures.
YASA is working on various aspects to help address this issue. YASA is lobbying for better laws, better enforcement, better road safety standards and more. We are also working on educating the upcoming generation on safety issues.
DL: YASA has many traffic safety programs for very young children. Why is it important to educate children about traffic safety years before they will drive?
YASA: “Safety starts with an attitude” - for this reason it is essential to expose and educate young children on safety issues and specifically road/traffic safety issues to help bring up a generation more aware of traffic safety issues. Moreover by doing interventions for young children, YASA would be able to enter many more homes through the children than any other way.
YASA believes that exposing children to road safety issues from their early years will impact them greatly when they reach the age of getting their driving license. It will also influence the parents through the children.
DL: Why is it important to try and entertain children while educating them? How does this help promote the messages of safety and accident prevention?
YASA: All YASA interventions for children focus on education through entertainment since this is known to help engrave the safety messages in the minds of the young kids. Mixing safety education with entertainment is the best way to successfully deliver the message to children and make them memorize it and transfer it to the parents as well.
DL: Are Lebanese traffic laws still outdated? In areas where the law is not outdated, is it well implemented?
YASA: The Lebanese traffic law dates back to the 60s and has very weak implementation. The problem with implementation is that it is seasonal and not continuous.
DL: Is it difficult to address more sensitive safety issues such as alcohol abuse, or child neglect and/or abuse? How can youth organizations begin to raise dialogue about these social taboos?
YASA: When YASA started raising the issue of Road Safety, the issue was never addressed by anyone in Lebanon except us. Even the news did not cover traffic crashes and deaths and the reason behind this is that people did not feel the level of its burden. It took a lot of work to make people start seeing the problem and its consequences. We believe that when there is a will there is a way to address and follow up on a concern or issue. Other sensitive issues such as alcohol abuse and child neglect and abuse have started to surface from the taboo side but still needs a lot of work and perseverance. We cannot neglect the issue that in some communities alcohol is forbidden but there is great need to address the issue of abuse to help the problem come to the surface and be handled properly rather than staying a taboo and spreading quietly among people.
DL: What is YASA’s role in disaster relief?
YASA: YASA works hard on injury prevention so our work is focused on the stage before the incident, however we saw the need to address the incident itself so we worked on the disaster management aspect too. We aim in our work to help the disaster response teams unit efforts and practice before they are faced by real situations.
DL: What are YASA’s strategies in making its awareness campaigns successful? Have conferences, seminars, and TV ads had a statistically measurable impact on accidents and injuries on the road?
YASA: YASA works on various ways to optimize the campaigns’ impact. All through the years we have organized and participated in conferences and seminars. YASA has also produced various safety spots and documentaries that were broadcast on local and regional TV stations, and were also viewed in conferences and seminars. All these were done to help promote a safer behavior and help reduce the burden of injuries due to traffic crashes. It is evident that campaigns alone do not work, and when we want to address the issue of Road Safety we need to address what we know as 6Es: Education, Engineering, Emergency, Enforcement, Evaluation and Encouragement. (More details on the 6Es can be found at www.yasa.org.)
Education is the part that is done with the students and in seminars, lectures and various interventions.
Engineering is the reflection of the safety on the roads from signing, lining, lighting to safety in road work zones and more.
Enforcement is the strict and continuous law enforcement and the updating of existing laws to meet the changes in the road and vehicles.
Emergency is the preparedness of the emergency teams to respond to an emergency situation and how to handle it in timely manner.
Evaluation is the step where you need to stop and assess what has been done and what should be done.
Encouragement is asking people to ask what the people in charge have done and if they worked to reduce the burden they should be acknowledged and if not they should be accounted for.
Safadi Foundation USA thanks YASA for taking the time to answer our questions. Please visit YASA's website to learn more about the organization and discover ways you can help youth understand road safety issues.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Lebanon's Civil Society Active in Environmental Issues
And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. - Khalil Gibran
From the ancient cedars of Shouf to the blue honey of the Mediterranean, traditional rural villages to the sprawling metropolis of Beirut, and the majesty of Mount Lebanon to the luscious Beqaa Valley, Lebanon faces enormous environmental challenges. These problems - which range from desertification and water shortages to threats to marine life and to the towering cedars themselves - transcend ethnicity and creed, wealth and poverty, gender and age. They are common to all and can be ignored by none. Fortunately, Lebanon is taking notice.
With a plethora of civil society groups recently formed to protect Lebanon's slice of the planet, Lebanon has perhaps the most active environmental movement in the Middle East and can lead the way in promoting green policies throughout the region. Not only are international groups like Greenpeace and GAIA active in the country, but grassroots Lebanese organizations like Beeatoona, Green Line, Development for People and Nature Association, and IndyACT have begun to have an impact on dialogue about the environment in Lebanon.
But there is much work to do, and the government should work in cooperation with CSOs and municipalities so that all of Lebanon can participate in the process. The government has already developed several national plans to combat environmental degradation in Lebanon. The National Reforestation Plan (2001), National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (1998), and National Action Program to Combat Desertification (2003) have all been drafted and implemented to some degree. The Ministry of Environment also hosted a program with the University of Balamand entitled Strengthening Environmental Legislation Development and Application System (SELDAS).
The SELDAS program ran from March 2003 to September 2005, which culminated with the publication of a book (available in Arabic from the Ministry’s website.) The purpose of the program was to build institutional capacities to develop and apply environmental laws and to promote environmental awareness. The project developed a methodology for analyzing environmental legislation and was designed to reform the process of drafting environmental laws. Part of the project included seminars in which civil society organizations and municipalities were invited to give feedback to the Ministry.
The extent to which these plans will be adhered or the impact of the SELDAS program on environmental legislation reform remain to be seen. It is up to civil society organizations across Lebanon to continue to push for reform and to follow up on existing plans and programs. With organizations such as those listed above, Lebanon has an excellent chance to combat environmental degradation and promote a sustainable future for all.
From the ancient cedars of Shouf to the blue honey of the Mediterranean, traditional rural villages to the sprawling metropolis of Beirut, and the majesty of Mount Lebanon to the luscious Beqaa Valley, Lebanon faces enormous environmental challenges. These problems - which range from desertification and water shortages to threats to marine life and to the towering cedars themselves - transcend ethnicity and creed, wealth and poverty, gender and age. They are common to all and can be ignored by none. Fortunately, Lebanon is taking notice.
With a plethora of civil society groups recently formed to protect Lebanon's slice of the planet, Lebanon has perhaps the most active environmental movement in the Middle East and can lead the way in promoting green policies throughout the region. Not only are international groups like Greenpeace and GAIA active in the country, but grassroots Lebanese organizations like Beeatoona, Green Line, Development for People and Nature Association, and IndyACT have begun to have an impact on dialogue about the environment in Lebanon.
But there is much work to do, and the government should work in cooperation with CSOs and municipalities so that all of Lebanon can participate in the process. The government has already developed several national plans to combat environmental degradation in Lebanon. The National Reforestation Plan (2001), National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (1998), and National Action Program to Combat Desertification (2003) have all been drafted and implemented to some degree. The Ministry of Environment also hosted a program with the University of Balamand entitled Strengthening Environmental Legislation Development and Application System (SELDAS).
The SELDAS program ran from March 2003 to September 2005, which culminated with the publication of a book (available in Arabic from the Ministry’s website.) The purpose of the program was to build institutional capacities to develop and apply environmental laws and to promote environmental awareness. The project developed a methodology for analyzing environmental legislation and was designed to reform the process of drafting environmental laws. Part of the project included seminars in which civil society organizations and municipalities were invited to give feedback to the Ministry.
The extent to which these plans will be adhered or the impact of the SELDAS program on environmental legislation reform remain to be seen. It is up to civil society organizations across Lebanon to continue to push for reform and to follow up on existing plans and programs. With organizations such as those listed above, Lebanon has an excellent chance to combat environmental degradation and promote a sustainable future for all.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Friday Roundup
Thanks to everyone who found our blog this week - next week we have some good stuff planned, so make sure to check back frequently!
Developing Lebanon aims to create a comprehensive list of all civil society organizations in Lebanon - if you work for or know of an organization that has a website not on our list, please email us or leave a comment with the link.
We are also developing a comprehensive list of blogs in and about Lebanon. If you have or know of an active blog that we do not have on our blogroll, please email us or leave a comment with the link.
On to this week's roundup:
Become a Facebook fan of Developing Lebanon!
The first Lebanese Tweetup!
Reform, reform, reform! Experts discuss reform areas in Daily Star.
The Role of Faith Based Orgs in Influencing & Shaping Social Policies in Lebanon. Event held by CRDTA.
Association for Forests, Development, and Conservation undertaking project in Andkit-Akkar.
Share your environmental info on AFDC's recently launched website for learning about the environment.
RT: @patrickgaley Protesters from Union of Democratic Youth staged sit-down protest in front of Lebanese Parliament as Speaker announced.
Open intro meeting for RootSpace's OpenSesame Consultancy (June 29, 7:30pm).
Lebanese Autism Society honors those who helped LAS over the years.
Red Cross survey highlights impact of world's armed conflicts on civilians.
Corruption at the driving school? This student just says no to bribery!
Baroud Supports Lebanese Mother's Nationality Case.
Football for peace. Lots of Lebanese organizations are doing this, too. Developing Lebanon will do a piece on this in the future.
Arab World Social Innovators on BBC World Service Radio.
Civil Campaign for Electoral Reform invites you to join the call for electoral reform in Lebanon.
مشروع تعليم مبادىء القيادة السليمة لطلاب مدرسة المعهد الانطوني بعبدا link
Survey of civil society and government officials concludes Lebanon unprepared for disasters.
Can one store spark renewal of a neighborhood?
Lebanese NGO Al-Kafaat to double capacity of Village to encourage disabled and disadvantaged to reintegrate into society.
Friday Roundup is a weekly blog post in which Safadi Foundation USA publishes a roundup of civil society's activities for the week. The goal is to spread the word about these activities and help civil society organizations learn from each other's experiences.
Developing Lebanon aims to create a comprehensive list of all civil society organizations in Lebanon - if you work for or know of an organization that has a website not on our list, please email us or leave a comment with the link.
We are also developing a comprehensive list of blogs in and about Lebanon. If you have or know of an active blog that we do not have on our blogroll, please email us or leave a comment with the link.
On to this week's roundup:
Become a Facebook fan of Developing Lebanon!
The first Lebanese Tweetup!
Reform, reform, reform! Experts discuss reform areas in Daily Star.
The Role of Faith Based Orgs in Influencing & Shaping Social Policies in Lebanon. Event held by CRDTA.
Association for Forests, Development, and Conservation undertaking project in Andkit-Akkar.
Share your environmental info on AFDC's recently launched website for learning about the environment.
RT: @patrickgaley Protesters from Union of Democratic Youth staged sit-down protest in front of Lebanese Parliament as Speaker announced.
Open intro meeting for RootSpace's OpenSesame Consultancy (June 29, 7:30pm).
Lebanese Autism Society honors those who helped LAS over the years.
Red Cross survey highlights impact of world's armed conflicts on civilians.
Corruption at the driving school? This student just says no to bribery!
Baroud Supports Lebanese Mother's Nationality Case.
Football for peace. Lots of Lebanese organizations are doing this, too. Developing Lebanon will do a piece on this in the future.
Arab World Social Innovators on BBC World Service Radio.
Civil Campaign for Electoral Reform invites you to join the call for electoral reform in Lebanon.
مشروع تعليم مبادىء القيادة السليمة لطلاب مدرسة المعهد الانطوني بعبدا link
Survey of civil society and government officials concludes Lebanon unprepared for disasters.
Can one store spark renewal of a neighborhood?
Lebanese NGO Al-Kafaat to double capacity of Village to encourage disabled and disadvantaged to reintegrate into society.
Friday Roundup is a weekly blog post in which Safadi Foundation USA publishes a roundup of civil society's activities for the week. The goal is to spread the word about these activities and help civil society organizations learn from each other's experiences.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Event Announcement: The Role of Faith Based Organizations in Influencing and Shaping Social Policies in Lebanon
Center for Research and Training for Development Association has the pleasure to invite you to an interactive discussion seminar on “The Role of Faith Based Organizations (FBOs) in Influencing and Shaping Social Policies in Lebanon.” The seminar will take place on Friday 26 June from 10:00 am to 14:00 pm at the YWCA premises in Ain el Mreisseh.Further information can be found here.
The purpose of this seminar is to share with guests and participants the initial results of the field research which was undertaken by CRTD.A with the support of IDRC (Middle East Good Governance Fund). Through this action research, CRTD.A undertook an exploration of the role played by FBOs (especially those involved in health and education) in an attempt to gain an understanding and develop an in-depth analysis of the role and influence of FBOs on processes of social policies making especially in relation to their understanding and practice of citizenship, gender equality and good governance.
This action research used a qualitative research methodology and evolved around 12 case studies drawn from the most prominent FBOs representing the major religious confession of Lebanon.
During the proposed interactive seminar, CRTD.A will share the methodology and findings of the study and its implications, the topography of the mapping studies of FBOs in Lebanon as well as the legal framework of FBOs and their operation in Lebanon.
As indicated above, the findings relate to the 12 case studies of FBOs who have graciously and wholeheartedly agreed to take part in this research.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Lebanese blogs added to blogroll
Developing Lebanon realizes the important role that new media plays in civil society, and blogging is just one tool used to communicate information. Not only are we working on a comprehensive link list of all civil society organizations that operate in Lebanon, but we are creating a blogroll of all Lebanese blogs to publicize the independent voices of Lebanon. If you are in Lebanon or have a Lebanon-oriented blog that you would like to add to the list (in any language), please email us your link. Our blogroll, which is located below our civil society list, shows the most updated blogs at the top of the list and includes a link to the latest post.
We would love if you would add us to your blogroll, too.
We would love if you would add us to your blogroll, too.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Twynicism - Young Lebanese and the Politics of Change
As the world watches events unfolding in Iran through social media due to government crackdown on traditional means of communication, we are coming to understand the impact new technology like Twitter and Facebook can have on world events. While not having as much direct impact on elections in Lebanon, these new media tools did play a role in the dialogue leading up to the elections.
One of the prevalent sentiments about the Lebanese election campaigns can be summed up by a Twitter persona who goes by @fulla_. Fulla, as you may know, is the Muslim version of Barbie, an abaya-clad, hijab covered plastic toy. Fulla claimed to be running for a parliamentary seat, but true to the spirit of the competitive elections, she had been slandered by her opponents, who alleged they had a compromising video tape of her, a claim she categorically denied.
Such is the cynicism of young Lebanese. This is a generation who grew up post-Ta'if, a generation raised in cyberspace, where borders don't exist and governments often can't keep up with those who want change. So they use new media to express their cynicism, this new generation who won't accept the status quo of bickering and fighting and deadlock and death.
Fulla crafted a parody of the Lebanese political process in 140 character installments. Other Lebanese Twitterers wrote:
Individuals are not the only ones to use sarcasm and satire in their political discourse. Youth for Tolerance, a non-profit organization that works with people aged 16-22 on issues of conflict resolution, created two online games, one in which a player "whacks a politician" and the other in which a player must whitewash sheep before they climb aboard a March 14 or March 8 bus, their colors matching the various sectoral hues.
But with cynicism comes hope. According to an article in The Daily Star, the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE) said that of more than 2500 election observers, over half were university students. Likewise, Lebanese Transparency Association (LTA) said 80% of their election observers were university students. Young Lebanese want real democracy with transparency, accountability, and competitive races rather than assigned seats in parliament. Their involvement in the democratic process is a sign that there is a political will to move on from the old divisions and hatreds, and political will is the main ingredient in any recipe for change.
Fulla claimed she won her seat, saying, "Change, here it comes." When asked by a follower what she meant by change, she replied:
Follow SafadiUSA on Twitter.
One of the prevalent sentiments about the Lebanese election campaigns can be summed up by a Twitter persona who goes by @fulla_. Fulla, as you may know, is the Muslim version of Barbie, an abaya-clad, hijab covered plastic toy. Fulla claimed to be running for a parliamentary seat, but true to the spirit of the competitive elections, she had been slandered by her opponents, who alleged they had a compromising video tape of her, a claim she categorically denied.
Such is the cynicism of young Lebanese. This is a generation who grew up post-Ta'if, a generation raised in cyberspace, where borders don't exist and governments often can't keep up with those who want change. So they use new media to express their cynicism, this new generation who won't accept the status quo of bickering and fighting and deadlock and death.
Fulla crafted a parody of the Lebanese political process in 140 character installments. Other Lebanese Twitterers wrote:
@kheleil: Anyone voted Donald Duck?The cynicism spills into the blogsphere as well. Maya Zankoul is an online cartoonist who recently mocked the use of scantily clad women in political advertising, political phone harassment, and odd campaign slogans. Qifa Nabki created a Lebanese election bracket in the style of an NCAA tournament bracket. For a Better Lebanon went Monty Python and the cynicism is evident even as he "gloats" over a victory for the "lesser of two evils."
@habibh: Probably only dude on a billboard who is not running for elections. [with photo of Marlboro man billboard]
Individuals are not the only ones to use sarcasm and satire in their political discourse. Youth for Tolerance, a non-profit organization that works with people aged 16-22 on issues of conflict resolution, created two online games, one in which a player "whacks a politician" and the other in which a player must whitewash sheep before they climb aboard a March 14 or March 8 bus, their colors matching the various sectoral hues.
But with cynicism comes hope. According to an article in The Daily Star, the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE) said that of more than 2500 election observers, over half were university students. Likewise, Lebanese Transparency Association (LTA) said 80% of their election observers were university students. Young Lebanese want real democracy with transparency, accountability, and competitive races rather than assigned seats in parliament. Their involvement in the democratic process is a sign that there is a political will to move on from the old divisions and hatreds, and political will is the main ingredient in any recipe for change.
Fulla claimed she won her seat, saying, "Change, here it comes." When asked by a follower what she meant by change, she replied:
Sectarian system into the dustbin of history, plant flowers all over, exile warlords to Cedar Island, promote plastic arts. Requests?
Follow SafadiUSA on Twitter.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Friday Roundup
Developing Lebanon has officially launched! Check back daily for news and information about civil society and development in Lebanon.
Gemayze is holding its annual Exposition of Art.
HireLebanese is holding 2009 Job Fair in Beirut in October.
Lebanese bloggers react to Iran crisis.
Arab Human Rights Fund calls for proposals from Arab civil society organizations.
London School of Economics held "Lebanese Elections and Middle Eastern Democracy" last week. Full audio.
Lebanon's Parliamentary Elections: Anticipating Opportunities and Challenges - USIP working paper.
Maw2af.org and Maya's Amalgam on LBC news.
Lebanese civil society expectations: Will parliament & government really work for social reform?
Middle East Institute hosted "The 2009 Lebanon Elections: Outcomes and Implications."
Naam Lil Hiwar "Comedy in Lebanon: Catering to public taste or provoking critical thinking?"
"This is Mona": Twitter social epidemic during Lebanon election.
Lebanon’s Reformed Electoral Law - is the cup really “half full”?
BASSMA holding fundraiser "Sparkling Summer Night" at Sky Bar in Biel July 6. Profits benefit deprived families in Lebanon.
Gemayze is holding its annual Exposition of Art.
HireLebanese is holding 2009 Job Fair in Beirut in October.
Lebanese bloggers react to Iran crisis.
Arab Human Rights Fund calls for proposals from Arab civil society organizations.
London School of Economics held "Lebanese Elections and Middle Eastern Democracy" last week. Full audio.
Lebanon's Parliamentary Elections: Anticipating Opportunities and Challenges - USIP working paper.
Maw2af.org and Maya's Amalgam on LBC news.
Lebanese civil society expectations: Will parliament & government really work for social reform?
Middle East Institute hosted "The 2009 Lebanon Elections: Outcomes and Implications."
Naam Lil Hiwar "Comedy in Lebanon: Catering to public taste or provoking critical thinking?"
"This is Mona": Twitter social epidemic during Lebanon election.
Lebanon’s Reformed Electoral Law - is the cup really “half full”?
BASSMA holding fundraiser "Sparkling Summer Night" at Sky Bar in Biel July 6. Profits benefit deprived families in Lebanon.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Evan's Corner: Conflict and Religion in US Foreign Policy: A New Way?
Conflict and Religion in US Foreign Policy: A New Way?
Center for Strategic and International Studies
The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted a discussion examining the role of religion is US foreign policy. The guests included Nadia Bilbassy-Charters, senior US correspondent for the Middle East Broadcasting Center, Prof. Shaun Casey, associate professor of Christian Ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary, Ambassador Sudjadan Parnohadiningrat of the Republic of Indonesia, and Mr. Amir Ramadan, Charge d’Affairs for the Egyptian Embassy in Washington.
Before getting down to more specific policy discussions, the panelists addressed President Obama’s speech in Cairo. Mr. Ramadan pointed out that although the speech was widely reported to be addressing the “Muslim world,” it was really a “political” speech. Ambassador Sudjadan agreed vigorously, noting that Indonesians felt the speech was not addressed to them. The ambassador explained that the millions of Muslims in south Asia thought that the president’s speech was about Middle Eastern politics, and not the faith of Islam. The ambassador went on to say that Indonesians are hopeful that Obama will speak to south Asian Muslims more directly in future speeches.
The panelists all stressed that Islam was not the center of the president’s Cairo speech, and also should not be the central preoccupation of US foreign policy. Mr. Ramadan argued that religious themes have no place in policy, and that is why his own Egyptian government has banned religious political parties. The speech was really about key political issues, such as the reconstruction of Iraq, and a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mr. Ramadan stressed that pragmatic solutions to these political issues must be the goal of US foreign policy.
Professor Casey did not entirely agree that religion should be absent from government. Casey said that the government needs more staff devoted to understanding the role of “lived religion” around the world. Casey explained that the counter insurgency strategy being employed in Iraq calls for an advanced knowledge of Islam as it is practiced. So much of counter insurgency is a battle for hearts and minds, and the US military does not have the human resources to interpret and interact with religious life in Iraq. Casey went further suggesting that the proselytizing, evangelical approach of some of the army chaplains was extremely counterproductive. Casey advised that the US military train a core of servicemen in “world religions” to better understand and contextualize the spiritual traditions of foreign nations.
The ultimate consensus of the panel was that US foreign policy going forward needs to address the individual political realities of each Middle Eastern country. Ambassador Sudjadan and Mr. Ramadan illustrate that that two predominantly Muslim nations can have completely different domestic and international concerns. In some cases, such as in Iraq or Afghanistan, a greater understanding of country specific religious practices can be informative. However, these national religious traditions must never be misinterpreted as representative of all Muslims, and politics, not religion, must inform policy.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Evan's Corner: The Approach of the Halakah and Sharia to Contemporary Legal Issues
Briefing in the United States Library of Congress
Sponsored by
The Law Library of Congress and the African and Middle Eastern Division of the Library of Congress
Sponsored by
The Law Library of Congress and the African and Middle Eastern Division of the Library of Congress
Participants:
Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe-Dean of the Institute of American and Talmudic Law
Issam Michael Saliba-Legal Specialist of Islamic Law at the Law Library of Congress
Summary:
Recently, the Law Library of Congress and the African and Middle Eastern Division of the Library of Congress presented a discussion exploring the utility of “religious” legal systems. The term “religious law” causes much consternation and bristling from those who see the civic and spiritual worlds as fundamentally separate. In the West, people often imagine they have more thoroughly separated “Church” and “State,” and that a law reflecting Judeo-Christian values is not inherently religious. The view of Western legal systems as “untainted” by religion reflects an attitude that more overtly religious legal systems are less capable of handling modern legal problems. Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe and Issam Michael Salibal, made convincing arguments that fundamentally religious legal systems are, in many cases, well-equipped to face contemporary legal issues.
Rabbi Yaffe began by giving a brief history of the evolution of Talmudic law. The Rabbi explained that the basis for all Judaic law are the five books of Moses, which are viewed as immutable as they are supposed to be divine in origin. However, within the evolution of Judaic law, the Rabbi explained that these scriptures are more like a “table of contents” than a list of rules. The rabbi went so far as to say that if one “tries to live based on scripture” the way he or she lived “would not be Judaism.” One of the main criticisms of any legal system based in scripture is that it must be immovable and inflexible. The Rabbi illustrated that this is not true. The scripture cannot change, but the interpretation of the scripture is very much a continuous argument that Judaic scholars are able to plot from antiquity to modern day. Within the world of Judaic legal scholars there are consensus on some points, but on others there are minority and majority positions.
The Rabbi used a scriptural example to illustrate his point further. The Rabbi offered Exodus 21:22 “And should men quarrel and hit a pregnant woman, and she miscarries but there is no fatality, he shall surely be punished, when the woman’s husband makes demands of him, and he shall give restitution according to the judges.” This passage is at the center of modern Judaic scholars positions on abortion. In their view, the phrase “no fatality” implies that if the woman does not die, then no human life has been taken. Scholars also note that the killing of the unborn child is still a crime according to the Talmud, but it is not equivalent to murder. The Rabbi stressed that on countless modern issues: from assisted suicide to artificial intelligence, the scripture offers relevant instruction. Furthermore, this instruction, far from stifling progress, fosters a vigorous scholarly discussion regarding specific modern interpretations. The Rabbi argued that through this process, the Judaic legal system is every bit as “complicated,” and “sophisticated” as the American one.
While Rabbi Yaffe expressed that there is no distinction in Judaism between civil and religious life, Issam Michael Salibal noted that there is such a distinction in Islamic law. The Islamic schools of Law, derived originally from the Koran and Hadith, now rely upon legally established precedents. In other words, unlike in Judaic law, Muslim lawmakers cannot refer to the original religious texts, but instead must consult the decisions of authoritative Muslim jurists. This tradition is not contradictory to other legal systems and may have inspired many elements of common and civic law. Many of the institutions and schools within Islamic law are separate entities from other political or religious authorities, and their responsibility is to their legal tradition, not to scripture or ruler.
Salibal pointed out that while critics often harp on the perceived shortcomings of Islamic law, they never try to engage the Islamic legal system. For example, Salibal claimed that Sharia “clearly states” that Christians have the right to practice their religion under Islamic law. If there are political or religious authorities, stifling this freedom in the name of Islam, they can be challenged within the Islamic legal system. Salibal also discussed more controversial points of Islamic law. He pointed out that while there are precedents for harsh punishments, such as stonings, the law reserves these punishments for those who are “unrepentant.” In Salibal’s view, this leaves room for victims to challenge their punishment, again within the system of Islamic law.
Both speakers did an excellent job at explaining, and in some cases defending, these two “religious” legal systems. On difficult contemporary issues, such as abortion and cloning, these systems offered no easy answers or solutions. Then again, neither does the Christian one.
By Evan Barrett
Monday, June 15, 2009
Welcome to Developing Lebanon
On June 7, 2009, Lebanon held parliamentary elections that garnered world-wide attention. Most of the interest has focused on the weight and influence of external powers and the balance-of-power in the region. We at Safadi Foundation USA would like to highlight the growing influence of civil society and the significance these elections represent for the continuation of reforms that will help in creating a democratic, sovereign, and independent Lebanon. Civil society is an integral part of the reform process and critical to the stability of any democratic country.
Lebanon has a vibrant civil society that is involved in all facets of life and development sectors. Safadi Foundation USA would like to introduce you to a new blog that aims to be a portal for information about civil society in Lebanon. Developing Lebanon (http://blog.safadifoundationusa.org) is designed with the grassroots in mind and will be a way for civil society organizers to connect with each other and to share best practices, success stories, and lessons learned. Coordinating reform efforts will enhance the success of programs and help civil society organizations benefit from other organizations’ strengths and expertise. This blog aims to be a civil society clearinghouse of news, events, and case studies.
Each week Developing Lebanon will spotlight civil society organizations, highlighting their programs and successes. We will conduct interviews with civil society leaders, government officials, and Lebanese citizens on their thoughts and ideas about how to move Lebanon forward in the reform process. The blog will also contain a weekly sector segment focusing on reform efforts in a particular sector, including business, environment, and education, among others. Information about US policy towards Lebanon and Washington-based think tanks that have Lebanon programs will also be routinely included.
In the blog’s sidebar, you will find a list of civil society organizations in Lebanon and across the globe linking to each organization’s website. This list aims to be inclusive and will grow as we discover more organizations working to help overcome Lebanon’s development challenges.
We look forward to your active participation in this effort. Please contact Cathie Glover at cglover@safadifoundationusa.org for any feedback and or suggestions. In addition, please subscribe to our blog, sign up for our Twitter feeds @SafadiUSA, and visit our website at http://www.safadifoundationusa.org for more information on our efforts to build a sustainable future for all Lebanese.
Lebanon has a vibrant civil society that is involved in all facets of life and development sectors. Safadi Foundation USA would like to introduce you to a new blog that aims to be a portal for information about civil society in Lebanon. Developing Lebanon (http://blog.safadifoundationusa.org) is designed with the grassroots in mind and will be a way for civil society organizers to connect with each other and to share best practices, success stories, and lessons learned. Coordinating reform efforts will enhance the success of programs and help civil society organizations benefit from other organizations’ strengths and expertise. This blog aims to be a civil society clearinghouse of news, events, and case studies.
Each week Developing Lebanon will spotlight civil society organizations, highlighting their programs and successes. We will conduct interviews with civil society leaders, government officials, and Lebanese citizens on their thoughts and ideas about how to move Lebanon forward in the reform process. The blog will also contain a weekly sector segment focusing on reform efforts in a particular sector, including business, environment, and education, among others. Information about US policy towards Lebanon and Washington-based think tanks that have Lebanon programs will also be routinely included.
In the blog’s sidebar, you will find a list of civil society organizations in Lebanon and across the globe linking to each organization’s website. This list aims to be inclusive and will grow as we discover more organizations working to help overcome Lebanon’s development challenges.
We look forward to your active participation in this effort. Please contact Cathie Glover at cglover@safadifoundationusa.org for any feedback and or suggestions. In addition, please subscribe to our blog, sign up for our Twitter feeds @SafadiUSA, and visit our website at http://www.safadifoundationusa.org for more information on our efforts to build a sustainable future for all Lebanese.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Friday Roundup
First of all, I'd like to say congratulations for a successful election.
Onto the roundup:
Naam Lil Hiwar will relaunch in Shouf on Saturday, June 13 with the documentary "Lebnan elle bihlam fi: Discussing Our Vision of Lebanon." Info about the event can be found on Facebook here.
Lebanese blogger Elias Muhanna talks with Now Lebanon about his blog Qifa Nabki and the elections in Lebanon.
Saradar Foundation and Baldati team up to bring free computer and internet training to villages in Lebanon.
AmCham Lebanon releases May newsletter.
Sawt Ashabab appears in article in L'Orient Le Jour, "En plein chaos electoral, la voix des jeunes en toute objectivite."
Osama Safa, director of Lebanese Center for Policy Studies says Lebanon case shows US moving to something new.
First press statement from Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE).
A Looming Crisis in Lebanon? Forbes article.
RT: @meedan: Check out this audio recording of Anas Tawileh at London University talking on new media in Arab world.
No evidence Obama had any impact on Lebanon elections, says Foreign Policy blog.
Independents push for changes in system: A Christian ran for seat designated for a Muslim.
Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections and Lebanese Transparency Association say university students made up bulk of election observers. Hope for the future!
Lebanese NGO Collective for Research and Training on Development Association (CRTDA) leads activists to keep pressing for reform of nationality law.
Lebanon's Elections: Avoiding a New Cycle of Confrontation - International Crisis Group's report.
Friday Roundup is a weekly blog post in which Safadi Foundation USA publishes a roundup of civil society's activities for the week. The goal is to spread the word about these activities and help civil society organizations learn from each other's experiences.
Onto the roundup:
Naam Lil Hiwar will relaunch in Shouf on Saturday, June 13 with the documentary "Lebnan elle bihlam fi: Discussing Our Vision of Lebanon." Info about the event can be found on Facebook here.
Lebanese blogger Elias Muhanna talks with Now Lebanon about his blog Qifa Nabki and the elections in Lebanon.
Saradar Foundation and Baldati team up to bring free computer and internet training to villages in Lebanon.
AmCham Lebanon releases May newsletter.
Sawt Ashabab appears in article in L'Orient Le Jour, "En plein chaos electoral, la voix des jeunes en toute objectivite."
Osama Safa, director of Lebanese Center for Policy Studies says Lebanon case shows US moving to something new.
First press statement from Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE).
A Looming Crisis in Lebanon? Forbes article.
RT: @meedan: Check out this audio recording of Anas Tawileh at London University talking on new media in Arab world.
No evidence Obama had any impact on Lebanon elections, says Foreign Policy blog.
Independents push for changes in system: A Christian ran for seat designated for a Muslim.
Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections and Lebanese Transparency Association say university students made up bulk of election observers. Hope for the future!
Lebanese NGO Collective for Research and Training on Development Association (CRTDA) leads activists to keep pressing for reform of nationality law.
- Daily Star article.
- Lebanese American University article.
- Inter Press Service article.
- Just image blog post.
Lebanon's Elections: Avoiding a New Cycle of Confrontation - International Crisis Group's report.
Friday Roundup is a weekly blog post in which Safadi Foundation USA publishes a roundup of civil society's activities for the week. The goal is to spread the word about these activities and help civil society organizations learn from each other's experiences.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Friday Roundup
Barack Obama gave his highly anticipated speech to the Muslim world yesterday, which was generally met with warm praise. A few reactions:
NOW Lebanon gathered reactions from the street.
Lebanese reactions to President Obama's speech on PRI.
Reaction from Albalad (Arabic).
Obama's new era in international diplomacy - Daily Star editorial.
Comments by Worried Lebanese blog.
Friday SafadiUSA Twitter Roundup:
Safadi USA Executive Director Lara Alameh's article True Sovereignty and Independence for Lebanon in Daily Star.
Lebanon's Elections: Avoiding a New Cycle of Confrontation, Int'l Crisis Group's report.
Volta ao Mundo, a non-profit promotes intercultural dialogue between Lebanon & Brazil, holds launching event.
Climate change may escalate ME conflict: That's why it's important to support #civil society in environmental efforts.
Sharek961 empowers Lebanese citizens to promote transparency by sending eyewitness reports on election-related incidents.
After the Parliamentary Elections by Oussama Safa of Lebanese Center for Policy Studies.
The New Lebanon - a Lebanese focused site by World Focus news service.
RT: @yalibnan: Lebanon gets first firefighting helicopter for Forever Green campaign, a cooperative program between government and civil society.
Lebanese CSO Youth for Tolerance creates election-relevant games.
Citizens take action to save green spaces in Beirut. People power!
Child Protection Working Group says children abused during political campaigning
Aspen Institute's "Lebanese Elections in Context."
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Evan's Corner: Analyzing Obama's Speech to the Muslim World
Mere hours after Barack Obama delivered an historic speech to the Muslim world from Cairo, the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID) and the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) presented a panel discussion analyzing the speech. The panelists were a diverse group, representing a wide range of organizations, but each asked a similar question: will this unquestionably brilliant speech be backed up by changes in policy?
It is hard to deny the skill and knowledge evident in the president’s speech. Will Marshall (Progressive Policy Institute) called the speech “masterful,” and Geneive Abdo (The Century Foundation) agreed it was certainly “brilliant.” The president’s use of Koranic passages, as well as his references to the damaging legacy of colonialism illustrates his understanding of the region, and the concerns of its people. Rich Eisendorf (Freedom House) noted that no American politician has been able to project such a sense of respect and understanding since Jimmy Carter. The panelists concurred that the speech raised the level of dialogue, but also that this may prove problematic if the words are not coupled with political change.
Abdo referred to the president as “evasive” when it came to laying out specific policy goals. Obama said, “The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.” Abdo noted that while it is encouraging to have the president speak out against the expansion of settlements, he did not indicate what the US would do to force Israel’s hand. Radwan Masmoudi (CSID) echoed this argument, pointing out that the United States has been against expanding settlements for twenty years, but has yet to apply the necessary pressure to make settlements stop.
The panelists were skeptical of other aspects of the president’s speech as well. Obama stated he is committed to, “governments that reflect the will of the people.” However, Will Marshall argued that the United States has supported some of the more repressive governments in the Middle East, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia. There is no real indication that these relationships will change, particularly since the president chose to give his address from Cairo.
On countless subjects, the panelists agreed that the president spoke eloquently, but did not go far enough explaining how to implement political change. He talked about extremism, but did not address the American policies that foster such movements. He talked about development, but did not address lackluster trade policy between the West and the Middle East. No one argued against the power and beauty of Obama’s words. However, it is an open question whether or not those words will be backed up with political action, and these panelists aren’t holding their breath.
It is hard to deny the skill and knowledge evident in the president’s speech. Will Marshall (Progressive Policy Institute) called the speech “masterful,” and Geneive Abdo (The Century Foundation) agreed it was certainly “brilliant.” The president’s use of Koranic passages, as well as his references to the damaging legacy of colonialism illustrates his understanding of the region, and the concerns of its people. Rich Eisendorf (Freedom House) noted that no American politician has been able to project such a sense of respect and understanding since Jimmy Carter. The panelists concurred that the speech raised the level of dialogue, but also that this may prove problematic if the words are not coupled with political change.
Abdo referred to the president as “evasive” when it came to laying out specific policy goals. Obama said, “The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.” Abdo noted that while it is encouraging to have the president speak out against the expansion of settlements, he did not indicate what the US would do to force Israel’s hand. Radwan Masmoudi (CSID) echoed this argument, pointing out that the United States has been against expanding settlements for twenty years, but has yet to apply the necessary pressure to make settlements stop.
The panelists were skeptical of other aspects of the president’s speech as well. Obama stated he is committed to, “governments that reflect the will of the people.” However, Will Marshall argued that the United States has supported some of the more repressive governments in the Middle East, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia. There is no real indication that these relationships will change, particularly since the president chose to give his address from Cairo.
On countless subjects, the panelists agreed that the president spoke eloquently, but did not go far enough explaining how to implement political change. He talked about extremism, but did not address the American policies that foster such movements. He talked about development, but did not address lackluster trade policy between the West and the Middle East. No one argued against the power and beauty of Obama’s words. However, it is an open question whether or not those words will be backed up with political action, and these panelists aren’t holding their breath.
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