Municipal elections in South Lebanon

Independent coverage of municipal elections in South Lebanon from Hibr.

Take a break!

You are lying in bed still awake after two hours. Sleep will not come to you. Your boss has asked you to do something impossible at work; you know you will fail. You've been in a fight with your significant other and wonder if the two of you will break up. You just had a car accident after a truck full of goats drifted over the line and sideswiped you. Beiruti car horns light up the night, drivers unaware that honking does not get them there faster. Tick tock tick tock tick...

Get away from it all. Strap on your hiking boots and take advantage of Lebanon's natural beauty. Give your lungs a vacation from the pollution. It's time to be an ecotourist!

Where to start? Why not hike some of the 491km Lebanon Mountain Trail? Learn about Lebanon's literary history on the Baskinta Literary Trail. How about heading to the village of Ehmej to visit some of the feeder trails to the LMT and the new Forest Conservation Center? Need a trail guide? Check out organized hikes with Baldati or Esprit Nomade.

Ecotourism is a rapidly growing industry in Lebanon and has the potential to employ thousands of rural workers and create many new businesses in areas outside the urban glare of the nation's capital. And guess what? Trekking through the mountains is good for your health! So get out there! Live life! Enjoy Lebanon!

Live Lebanon connects Lebanese diaspora back to Lebanon

Hand in Hand to Combat Domestic Violence

The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Hamra was abuzz today with more than 200 people attending KAFA’s launch of “Women and Men Hand in Hand to End Violence: Strategies and approaches of working with men and boys to end violence against women” training manual. The attendees were a diverse crowd of mostly women – young, old, Muslim, Christian, Lebanese, immigrant – but there were many men as well.

Minster of Social Affairs Salim Al-Sayegh was the keynote speaker at the event, and he was cheered as he announced his support for laws against domestic violence in Lebanon. Ms. Ghida Anani, Programme Coordinator for KAFA, made welcoming remarks before Ms. Zoya Rouhana, KAFA’s Director, spoke about KAFA’s work. Ms. Magda El Sanousi from Oxfam, a sponsor of the project, and Ms. Rania Tarazi from UNIFEM’s Amman office, spoke about their organizations and partnerships before Minister Al-Sayegh spoke. Attendees were then given a presentation on the manual.

The event marked the start of a new approach towards combating domestic violence in Lebanon, as it recognizes the need for men to be involved equally with women in the fight to overcome these crimes against women. In the Middle East, many still believe it is ok for a man to beat his wife. KAFA is one organization that is working hard to erase this mentality of acceptance. Dinosaurs are extinct; it’s time for domestic violence to become extinct, too.

KAFA will be online soon at http://www.kafa.org.lb/.

Yes to dialogue about the civil war

More than 30 people – mostly young people – gathered at Chords Lounge in Hamra last night to listen to Naam Lil Hiwar: The Civil War According to 3 Different Generations: 1960’s; 1970’s; 1990’s and 3 Different Tales: A Detainee; An Artist; A Citizen. The purpose was to have a dialogue about the war.

As the event was in Arabic, I was not able to understand everything. At the beginning, organizers told people the event was to be in fusHa, but many of the participants either would not or could not speak it, so I missed a lot. However, I wanted to make a few observations in addition to pointing out Naam Lil Hiwar:

• Dialogue once the speakers were finished was very active and at times very emotional, though a few witty participants kept the tension level down. One young woman left early somewhat upset, but the dialogue was very civil.



• One man made a point to say Lebanese need to quit blaming outside influence for the civil war, pointing out that the leaders of Lebanese factions are indeed Lebanese. If more people held this idea, it would go a long way towards solving internal differences.



• Some of the talk was about how today’s youth don’t understand the civil war. There is no uniform textbook in history classes, leaving youth to get the information from parents and other adults who may not have the most objective view of the war or who don’t want to talk about it. The youth all seemed to grasp the idea that it is important to understand the war in order to move the country forward.



• Attendees were pretty evenly split among men and women, though all of the speakers were men.



• The Lebanese Twitterverse was absent from the event. It would be great to see these active young people being interested in dialogue about Lebanon’s problems so they can participate and lead in the solutions.

Speaking of participation, Lebanese youth in general are apathetic towards issues of citizenship like engaging in such dialogue sessions as Nahwa al-Muwatiniya's Naam Lil Hiwar. This program, which has recently been expanded to include other parts of Lebanon, and programs like the NDI-sponsored Citizen Lebanon, are vital to strengthening and stabilizing Lebanon’s democracy.

I encourage you to attend the next Naam session.

Think about your plastic bags!

Look closely at this photo. (Click it to make it larger if you need to.) What do you see? The beautiful candy blue waters of the Mediterranean? Look closer. See those dark spots in the water? Those are plastic bags. Disgusting enough that there are folks who care so little about life that they don't mind trashing the planet, but there's more to this photo. That's Lebanese trash on the coast of Cyprus.

How do I know it's from Lebanon? Well, as I was walking these beautiful beaches over the long weekend and came across this horrific sight, my immediate thought was "I bet that's from Lebanon." So I looked. I looked at many of the bags, bags in Arabic, bags in English with the words "Beirut," "Hamra," and "Saida" printed on them.

Boy, if I were a Cypriot, I'd be pretty angry. Maybe I'd be demanding my government to cut relations with this filthy neighboring country whose trash washes upon my shores until they do something about it. Ok, maybe that's a little extreme. But at least I'd be pressuring for the EU to give money to Lebanon for anti-littering campaigns and clean up the garbage dumps campaigns and such.

Where are the Lebanese NGOs working on campaigns to limit plastic bag use? Where is anyone telling people to think about their use of plastic bags? Where are calls for a plastic bag tax? They work! On January 1 of this year, Washington DC instituted a 5 cent plastic bag tax. As a result, according to a March 29th article in the Washington Post:

In its first assessment of how the new law is working, the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue estimates that city food and grocery establishments issued about 3.3 million bags in January, which suggests a remarkable decrease. Prior to the bag tax taking effect Jan 1, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer had estimated that about 22.5 million bags were being issued per month in 2009.

That's progress. People bring their own bags to the grocery. When I tried to bring my own cloth bag to supermarket Idriss in Hamra yesterday, some guy at the door tried to take it from me and told me I couldn't bring it into the store. I argued and finally won, but it shouldn't be a battle. It should be normal.

This is 2010. The planet's running in crisis mode. It's time for people to start thinking about the consequences of their actions, even things that seem so trivial like the bags you use to carry your groceries. We need to work on this!

Call for Proposals for NGOs working on human trafficking

بالبشر
استدراج عروض مشاريع لـ2010

دعت مبادرة الامم المتحدة العالمية لمكافحة الاتجار بالبشر الهيئات الاهلية والمدنية التي لا تبغى الربح والتي تعمل في كافة انحاء العالم، لتقديم عروض مشاريع للحصول على تمويل من برنامج المنح الصغيرة الخاص بالمبادرة.

للمزيد من المعلومات حول الموضوع يمكنكم/كن مراجعة الوصلة التالية: http://lkdg.org/ar/node/3406


لمعرفة المزيد حول كل جديد على صعيدي التنمية الاجتماعية والتحركات المدنية، زوروا موقع بوابة لبنان للتنمية والمعرفة على العنوان التالي:
http://lkdg.org/

Ehmej opens forest center

Rain poured from the sky onto the perilous mountain roads as the car climbed higher and higher into a Lebanon new to me. The main road to the village of Ehmej was unpaved and under construction and very, very narrow with no barrier between the crumbling edge of the road and the steep drop off to the valley below. Even the beauty of the vineyard-lined mountains could not prevent me from closing my eyes. But it was all worth it.

The road led to the opening of the Ehmej Forest Center. This new center will increase the Ehmej municipality’s capacity and will focus on the protection, conservation, and growth of the forests in Ehmej and the surrounding area as well as provide a community gathering place. There are 12 hiking trails which connect Ehmej to the Lebanon Mountain Trail and other natural places of interest. The center will serve as a focal point for ecotourism in the area. It will hold 30 beds and host a full kitchen for group activities.

The opening ceremony was held in Ehmej before the group headed out to see the forest center. Among the speakers at the ceremony were the Mayor of Ehmej and Nada Zaarour, President of the Association for Forests, Development, and Conservation. Ambassador Michelle Sison represented the United States, who provided the funding for the center through the Department of Defense Humanitarian Assistance Program.

Ecotourism is a rapidly growing industry in Lebanon and a great way to bring economic development to areas outside of Beirut, areas which have not seen the level of prosperity enjoyed by many in the capital city. Indeed, some parts of Lebanon are like a whole other country, where poverty and illiteracy reign the lives of the people like other third world countries. Educated and prosperous Beirutis tend to overlook the fact that not all of Lebanon shares their good fortune.

But maybe they can in the near future. Ecotourism generates income into small communities – visitors spend money in local businesses like hotels and restaurants, as well as buy locally made handicrafts and other products.

In addition to the economic benefits, the center will help to create a culture of environmental appreciation by educating youth about environmental problems and solutions that are good for all of Lebanon. And who knows? A little wilderness without the distractions of daily living can go a long way in bringing folks a peaceful state of mind...

Job vacancy

KAFA (enough) Violence and Exploitation

Job Opening:
Assistant Project Coordinator


Within the frame of the project entitled “Protecting Adolescents from Gender based Violence through the Promotion of their Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in Yemen, Lebanon and OPT”* implemented by KAFA (enough) Violence and Exploitation in partnership with Save the Children Sweden , KAFA is seeking to employ an assistant project coordinator to work in this initiative.

Main Responsibilities include:
o Assist in the KAP survey on SRHR: facilitate in the process of data collection;
o Aid and participate in field visits to beneficiaries, stakeholders, areas of interest within the context of the current project;
o Aid in the planning, organizing, monitoring and documentation of the workshops;
o Logistical support for workshops, awareness sessions, events within the context of the current project;
o Responsible for documenting and aid in the monitoring and the evaluation for all meetings, activities of the current project. This includes, but is not limited to: report writing, photographing, collecting and organizing resources (soft and hard copies), communicating with stakeholders, etc.
o Assist project coordinator in any activities related to the project.

Required qualifications:
o University degree in social sciences or related field;
o Excellent writing and communication skills in Arabic and English;
French is a plus;
o Experience working on long and Mid-term projects;
o Background in or adequate knowledge of issues concerning: gender, child sexual abuse, reproductive and sexual health and rights. Knowledge in research methodology and M&E is a plus;
o Team-work skills.

The position is offered on a full time basis starting immediately.

Interested candidates should send a CV and a motivation letter to ghida.anani@kafa.org.lb & maria.semaan@kafa.org.lb specifying “Assistant project coordinator vacancy” in the subject line by April 8, 2010 latest.

* This project is funded by the European Commission

The Middle East could learn something from the Irish

Once upon a time in the greenest land you'll ever see, a boy of 16 became a slave. He dwelled in this land for six years before escaping and returning to his homeland, but something called him back.

It was the fifth century. That green land would come to be known as Ireland. That boy became a priest and converted the pagan island into Catholicism, which eventually made him a saint (though he has never formally been canonized by a pope.)

In the late twelfth century, the pope, an Englishman, was upset that the Irish Catholic Church would not fully integrate into the Roman Catholic Church, so he supported the sending of Norman/English troops into Ireland. (The reality was he was angry because the Irish wouldn't send soldiers on the Crusades.) Under Norman/English occupation, Ireland became a feudal state. A few centuries later saw the Protestant Reformation, which set off a wave off brutality and murder against Catholics in England and 130 years of religious war across much of Europe. Irish Catholics became subjected to all sorts of discrimination under the Norman/English Protestant rule, including being barred from sitting in parliament.

That was not the worst thing to happen to them.

In 1740, the first failure of the potato crop, which was the staple food of Irish Catholics due to their oppressed, impoverished conditions and the prohibition against them owning pasture land, wiped out 400,000 Irish. One hundred years later, the Great Famine wiped out a million Irish, and another million emigrated, mostly to America. However, there was plenty of food besides potatoes at this time, but much of it was exported by wealthy English businessmen and the British government. As the Irish patriot John Mitchell said,

"The Almighty, indeed, sent the potato blight, but the English created the Famine."

About the same time, Irish nationalism was on the rise. By the turn of the century, there were two armed militias. In 1916, there was an unsuccessful revolution. By 1921, the British, having been exhausted by World War I, gave Ireland its independence. Well, three-fourths of its independence, thus setting off nearly eight decades of conflict.

But you know what? They stopped fighting. It was a quiet Easter Sunday in 1998. I walked the empty streets of Belfast on that day, wondering if at last, peace would come to the troubled island. It's been twelve years since that peace treaty was signed and there's no sign of conflict coming back.

It took courage on both sides to bring peace. War and hatred are the activities of cowards. After 800 years of British rule, Ireland made peace with their oppressors, even though they didn't get all they wanted. It's called compromise, the bravest of ideas.

It's time for some courage in the Middle East.

___

By the way, for all the Lebanese who've asked me, the reason St. Patrick's Day is important to so many people is because it was the day when all of the emigrants who had left their beloved Ireland to never see it again could get together and celebrate their Irish heritage. It's why Paddy's Day in Boston and Chicago and New York is a bigger deal than it is in Dublin (although these days, it's a big commercial day in Dublin.) Today, it is celebrated worldwide by the 80 million people of Irish descent. And you thought the Lebanese diaspora was large...

Lebanon: Is Real Reform Possible?

If you can't make it to this event, you can watch it by webcast here.

The Middle East Program of the Woodrow Wilson Center
and the Safadi Foundation USA


Present


Lebanon: Is Real Reform Possible?


with


MOHAMMAD A. SAFADI
Minister of Economy and Trade and Member of Parliament, Republic of Lebanon


Domestic reforms are critical to ensuring Lebanon’s long-term independence and sovereignty. Will the Lebanese government be able to strengthen the institutional framework that is required to expand economic opportunity and break down the clientelist structure of the Lebanese state? Minister Safadi will address the current situation on the ground and outline specific steps to move the reform process forward.



Wednesday, March 10, 2010
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
6th Floor Flom Auditorium
Woodrow Wilson Center

_____________________________________________________________
Please RSVP to mep@wilsoncenter.org or fax 202-691-4184

Name and Title:

Affiliation:

E-mail:

Seating is limited. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
A photo ID is required for entry.

The Woodrow Wilson Center is located in the Ronald Reagan Building (Federal Triangle stop on Blue/Orange Line). Public parking is available underneath the Reagan Building; however we recommend metro or taxi. www.wilsoncenter.org/directions

Event Roundup

Safadi Foundation USA and Project on Middle East Democracy held an event entitled "The Role of New Media in Promoting Reform in the Middle East: The Case of Lebanon" last Friday. You can read about the event on POMED's blog here.

POMED-Safadi Foundation USA Event

You're Invited: New Media and Reform in the Middle East: The Case of Lebanon

Safadi Foundation USA and the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) present:

New Media and Reform in the Middle East: The Case of Lebanon

The year 2009 witnessed an explosion of Internet-based activism in the political cultures of the Middle East. From the so-called Iranian "Twitter Revolution," which helped Green Movement activists mobilize and organize their protests on the streets of Tehran, to the recent imprisonment of prominent bloggers in Egypt and other countries, the Internet has finally become a force to be reckoned with in Arab politics.

The use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the Middle East has been a transformative tool in strengthening civil society and expanding the outreach of independent voices. In her remarks concerning Internet freedom last month, Secretary Clinton noted the power of the Internet and new technologies in helping to bridge divides between people of different faiths and help expand dialogue.

What types of U.S. assistance are needed to empower young reformers committed to non-sectarian politics? What is the role of ICT in promoting inter-faith dialogue and peace building? Can ICT help organize young voters in advance of the upcoming municipal elections? What is the direction of new media training in Lebanon?

Please join us for a discussion with:

Jared Cohen, Policy Planning Staff, U.S. Department of State

Elias Muhanna, Blogger, QifaNabki.com

Moderated by: Mona Yacoubian, Director, Lebanon Working Group, United States Institute of Peace (USIP)

Friday, March 5, 2010
11:00 AM
Rayburn House Office Building
Room 2255

Please RSVP here or by email to: rsvp@pomed.org

Safadi Foundation USA is a non-partisan registered 501 (c) (3) public charitable tax-exempt organization dedicated to promoting a national and strategic framework for Lebanon's development.

CONTACT: Lara Alameh of Safadi Foundation USA, +202-349-0890, lalameh@safadifoundationusa.org

Citizen Lebanon

With support from the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the seven partner organizations of Citizen Lebanon have engaged more than 7,000 citizens across the country in the last 18 months. Through intensive training of 67 community facilitators, NDI and its partners have supported community activists in 400 municipalities to hold discussion and debate groups. Many of these groups have evolved into "action groups" that receive training and guidance on advocacy techniques with the ultimate goal of enabling participants to work with other citizens, civic organizations, and government officials to address common problems for the benefit of their communities.

A very worthwhile program. Check it out in a municipality near you!

Event announcement:

Social Media Cafe is pleased to invite you to attend the Young Leaders Social Media Café in its Vol. 01- Beirut, atMarch 6, Zico House (Hamra) at 4.00.

Students, techies, geeks, social media enthusiasts, activists, journalists, entrepreneurs, investors, civic and business leaders, policy-makers and change-makers will be attending the event hosting more than 22 speakers from 22 Arab Countries and Sweden from the Key Social Media Projects, internationally, Regionally and locally.

The agenda is on the YLSMC blog here.

iLebanon

It was like some exclusive place in Soho back when Soho was cool, but there was an ocean between it and New York, a tumultuous ocean full of the wrath of winter. Concrete ceilings, water spots, black walls that probably receive a regular dose of paint, and art, much art, a red-faced Warhol and Superman Obama and marvel comics on canvas, an explosion of popart was right there on the walls of a warehouse bar in Beirut on a winter's Friday night.

The future of Lebanon socialized inside those walls, a mix of programmers, bloggers, photographers, musicians, social entrepreneurs, Twitterers, and civil society activists, all of them recognizing that in natural resourceless Lebanon, human resources are the way to progress, building a knowledge society through technology and ideas.

They called it Geekfest.

They had come out from behind computer screens to prove they are real, that they aren't just avatars but living human beings whose ideas are as real as they are. Lebanon could be a leader in tech, but its telecommunications infrastructure prevents it from being so. Instead, tech investment goes to Amman, and young Lebanese are left in the dark. Will the new government make good on his promise to bring Lebanon into the twenty-first century, or will corruption and ineptitude keep these "geeks" mired in the past, their ideas fading with each advance made by the world around them?

There are so many great initiatives in Lebanon, so many skilled developers and talented individuals, and most of them attended Geekfest at Art Lounge on Friday night. I wish them luck in their endeavors and hope we develop long lasting partnerships for the betterment of Lebanon's civil society.

SMEX post on Geekfest.

Fake Plastic Souks post.

fadynammour photos

Public Service Announcement

Developing Lebanon supports programs that further the cause of equality for women. I'd like to pass on this message.

MTV tv station is preparing with Hiyam Abou Chedid a program titled "w ana kamen ..lebnene"...(And I also...Am Lebanese).

If you are a Lebanese mother and facing nationality problems regarding your children and want to appear on tv and defend the cause, please send me a message.

The message must include name, problem description and phone number.

This message is addressed to women living inside Lebanon, in order to make the interviews.

The MTV program admins will chose among the candidates to the program.

Contact Antoine Yammine here.

Friday night in Cybeirut

Big tech event tonight in Cybeirut, Lebanon - Geekfest Beirut, starting at 8:30pm at Art Lounge.

Join the techies of Lebanon in what has been billed as "a social networking event UNORGANIZED for geeks, aspiring geeks and people who think that they might have a little geek in them!"

The mission? "To bring geeks together to exchange ideas, skills, stories and generally have some geeky fun."

In addition to the website, Geekfest Beirut is on Facebook and Twitter.

Lots of things going on, from presentations on all things tech to photography exhibits and some good old fashioned socializing and networking.

The agenda:

The Quality of Disintermediation
A millennium of disintermediation, how technology is challenging the world to change
Alexander McNabb

Creative Commons
Naeema Zarif, Maya Zankoul

CEDRO Sustainability projects in Lebanon
Elie Abou Jaoudeh, CEDRO, UNDP

Our Relationship with Information

How information has evolved and its effect on personal self-expression and business communication.
Ayman Itani, Telephone.com, LAU

The Potential of Mobile Applications

Elie Haddad, Ayna Corporation

What the F’UX?
User experience presentation. Using an everyday object to reflect the online UX and a simple guide to build a good ux.
George El Khabbaz, Cleartag

For more information, visit the Geekfest Beirut website.

Roy G. Biv on the Med

Today as I was type, type, typing away on a document aiming to help civil society in Lebanon, this rainbow appeared above the Mediterranean in full glory. It was a majestic thing, a miracle of science and nature, and I thought about all of the things a rainbow has come to symbolize to human beings. To Noah, a figure in each of the three Abrahamic faiths, the rainbow was God's promise to never again destroy the Earth. To Irish-Americans, if you go to the end of a rainbow, you'll find a little leprechaun and a big pot of gold to make all of your dreams come true, and if you're Polish, it's angels who leave the gold.

Speaking of angels, one civil society organization that operates in Lebanon takes as its name this light refracting phenomenon. Arc en ciel is celebrating its 25th anniversary of helping disadvantaged people. They help market agricultural products, improve the environment, and develop ecotourism in Lebanon, among other very worthwhile activities. They operate in many places across Lebanon. I encourage you to check them out.

Everything's gonna change our world across the Twitterverse

Last night, I had the good fortune of attending an open house for Social Media Exchange here in Beirut. There, I met real life people with whom I've previously had only online contact, whether it was through Twitter or email.

It's funny how you can instantly connect with people who live an ocean away.

I think Lebanon really has something here. Through technology, young people are coming together and shaping their own view of what the future of Lebanon should be (too bad they can't do it with a decent internet connection...) In Beirut, Twitter has brought together tech types in a way that could never have happened ten years ago. Through "Tweetups," young Lebanese get together to talk about tech, complain about Lebanon's slow internet, and just socialize and enjoy each other's company. True, Tweetups happen in other parts of the world, but not with the same frequency and intensity as they happen here. Friendships are forged, new projects develop, and activities have expanded beyond the Twitterverse. This weekend in Faraya, there is a snow Tweetup at a ski resort.

Imagine if individuals can get together like this what organizations can do with such a simple tool as Twitter. Instead of working individually, organizations can learn about each other's activities and work together to tackle a common problem, whether it be computer illiteracy, poverty, or the corruption in the telecoms sector that is to blame for the poor internet infrastructure in Lebanon.

If you are a civil society organization, sign up for an account at Twitter.com! Make sure you use your organization's name, and if you have one, use your logo as your avatar. Find a third party application like Echofon or Tweetdeck to facilitate the use of Twitter, and start tweeting about your projects!

You can follow us on Twitter at @SafadiUSA.

Strengthening the Role of Women in the Public Sphere

Moderating Extremism: Lebanese Leaders’ Perspectives

The Institute for Inclusive Security hosted a delegation of women from Lebanon in Washington, DC as part of their 2010 Colloquium. The women represent a cross-section of Lebanese society (see below for a list of the women).

The delegation met with a variety of think tanks and US policy makers, including Safadi Foundation USA. The delegation emphasized the need to increase female participation in the public sphere. While Lebanon appears to be a very free society on a superficial level, there are many barriers women must work through to obtain equality with their male counterparts. These barriers include patriarchy, confessionalism and cultural limitations imposed by religious clerics. In fact, Lebanon has one of the lowest percentages of women in policy or decision-level making positions. Currently, there are four women out of 128 parliamentarians and 2 female Cabinet-level Ministers out of a total of 30. The women that are present in public life in Lebanon have strong familial ties to male sectarian leaders with strong financial backing. What this shows is that women with strong financial resources and elite family connections are successful in making it to public office. However, there are many other women who are not able to share the same success based on merit alone due to institutional discrimination.

What these women are fighting for is to ensure that women’s rights are being accorded to them based on their national citizenship and not their sect and/or family status. With the assistance of Hunt Alternatives Fund, these women are working to strengthen their advocacy skills through coalition building, training and exchange programs, and technical advice. The delegation announced a set of recommendations specific to advancing the role of women in democracy and peacebuilding in Lebanese society. The recommendations can be viewed in their entirety at: http://www.huntalternatives.org/download/1918_new_solutions_for_moderating_extremism_lebanon.pdf

Safadi Foundation USA commends these women and will continue to seek ways to mobilize support for strengthening Lebanese civil society.

Participants:

Wafa Abed, President, Institute of Progressive Women Union;
May Akl, Foreign Press Secretary for MP Michel Aoun;
Dima Dabbous-Sensenig, Director, Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World, Lebanese American University;
Elissar Douaihy, Training and Mobilization Coordinator, Women Empowerment: Peaceful Action for Security and Stability (WEPASS);
Claudia Abi Nader, Professor, Military Academy; and
Lamia Osseiran, Vice president, Lebanese Council of Women.

An interesting social media initiative by...the Lebanese government?

That's right! The Lebanese government has rocketed into the Twitterverse with a new initiative @AskLEBGov. Have a question for the government? Ask away!

AskLEBGov says " Ask the Lebanese Government and help others ask. Leading e-Diplomacy Initiative to accounting & querying the Lebanese government through social media."

Prime Minister Hariri, too, has a team on Twitter, @PMHariri.

A response on social media

The following is a comment on our post on the use of technology by civil society organizations in Lebanon by the folks at Social Media Exchange. It is a good response and is useful knowledge for those outside of Lebanon who don't understand the infrastructure issues here.

I appreciate the mention of our work in Lebanon. It’s true, we’re trying hard to help civil society take advantage of what technology has to offer, and at the same time caution against thinking of technology as a solution in itself. As a new organization that has relied almost exclusively so far on project grants, we also understand the challenges that NGOs face with regard to resources, continuity of programming, and sustainability. But it’s not all their/our fault.

Let’s not forget that the Lebanese government hasn’t done much to improve the accessibility of the internet, either in terms of cost or infrastructure. When it takes overnight to upload a video, is it any wonder that NGOs don’t see the value of beginning to explore the possibilities of the web? Our internet connection—the fastest available at 2.3 Mbps—costs us $200/month, and that’s just for 8GB of upload or download. Every additional GB is $10.

That said, it’s true that may NGOs have yet to realize the importance, not just of the web, in general, but of strategic communications plans in particular. This is partly owed to the fact that extra-internet media here are very politicized. So it will take a while for civil society, journalists, and others to develop a new media literacy and internalize the possibilities so that they can use these new tools strategically to suit their needs and, we hope, in defense of the public interest.

We’ve also struggled to keep our website updated, and initially used a content management system (CMS) that was too complex for our needs. As a result, our website and blog often needed to be updated. My one best piece of advice that I’m giving these days: Don’t hire a web developer to build a website from scratch for you. Ask them to guide you through the selection of an open-source (free and customizable) CMS like Wordpress, Drupal, or Joomla. If they won’t do it, find a new developer (we can help with that). If you want a social network, check out Ning or Crabgrass. There’s really no need to pay for the creation of this infrastructure. Save your money for the person you’ll need to maintain the site and keep the content fresh. And remember, that person has to like technology. Get them some training, which is one of the things we do at SMEX.

In the past year, we’ve seen an amazing leap of awareness of the web and what it can do for civil society projects in Lebanon. That will only improve and expand as time goes on—as long as we don’t slide backwards in other ways, over which we may or may not have control.

You can find SMEX online here.

Internet Freedom

Secretary Clinton's internet freedom speech she gave this morning in DC.

Civil society issues in Lebanon

Last week, the Daily Star reported that in 2009, despite unprecedented stability in Lebanon, civil society failed to achieve any significant reforms.

Here are some issues that Lebanese civil society needs to deal with to be more effective:

1. Lebanese civil society organizations largely fail to understand how to use technology to spread awareness about their activities. There are many organizations doing great work; however, no one knows about it. This results in a duplication of efforts, wasted resources, and unnecessary competition for precious funding.

If you click on many of the links in our sidebar, you will encounter many websites that have not been updated in awhile. This happens for several reasons:

a) The organizational website was set up under one particular grant, and when that grant ended, so too, did updates to the website.

b) The organization pays a company to maintain the website and the company charges for every update.

c) The organization doesn't understand how important it is to update a website.

All of these issues are easily rectified, especially in a country as tech savvy as Lebanon.

For the first point, many grants - including all US government grants - require sustainability of projects before they are awarded. Simply put, an organization is not fulfilling the commitment it made when signing its contract if it stops updating its website. When writing proposal budgets, organizations should always include website maintenance as a line item.

On the second point, companies who charge for every update should be fired and replaced by a company who values service and commitment to its clients. The company should offer the software that allows organizations to update their own websites. Organizations should understand that paying for this software is worth the cost.

The final point is the most difficult to overcome, yet it is still rather simple to rectify. Civil society organizations simply don't know the value of or don't know how to use technology to promote their causes. Groups like Social Media Exchange are working hard to help civil society understand the importance of technology. Organizations should take advantage of training programs on how to use technology to promote their activities and accomplishments.

An organization's website is the primary means of electronic communication. Social media like Facebook and Twitter are good tools to promote your organization, but they should not be the primary means of spreading information. Your website should do that. Your website should include frequent updates on your organization's activities and accomplishments. Websites are especially important to overseas funders who want to know if your organization has enough experience and knowledge to be awarded a grant.

Up next, the second reason why reforms were lacking in 2009: organizational egos...