Divorce in Lebanon a new political dilemna and slogans described by Bassam and countered by Liana Kassir

Below you can read a part of the article of Bassam explaining what the journalist in Future did yesterday at Martyr’s square Beirut…

if that was the answer of Liana and Elias for him, good for them,  Liana I salute your courage, as I saluted the courage of Samir Kassir when we was against all odd asking people not to use the world Syrian people but fuel their anger against the regime!

yes, I was shocked by the “use” and “instrumentalisation” of the sorrow of people yesterday;

Burning the country, burning tires, and sending RPJ and Energa all night is not the solution.

God bless those who spoke again maturely and asked some of the followers to calm down.

Again, the final question I tried to solve in the Book Spring 2005 in Lebanon, was of a citizenship built on common grounds: chaos? or unity and respect? I am lost! this is not what peaceful collective Action looks like…. Gene Sharp … we need to refresh our memories and Peaceful tools!

Spring 2005 was Peaceful, I described the actions clearly … what the fall of 2012 is preparing to us? do you need a description or an image?

Source: L’Orient Le Jour… est ce pacifique ya sharp?

 

 

Source: Reuters Houssam Chabro… and is this pacific collective action?

 

 

Photo de Nada Merhi L’Orient le jour…. Pour moi voila une mobilisation pacifique qui est moins couverte mediatiquement certes, mais qui me rappelle ce Printemps 2005 au Liban…. le Mythe… Rita

 

Rita Chemaly

طالق بالثلاثة

http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/169954

من استوديو «المستقبل» الى ساحة الشهداء، حمل قطيش شعار «الطلاق حتى العدالة»، وتقدم الجماهير، رافعاً قبضته التي زينها بشارة صفراء، لأنّ

الطلاق برأيه هو مع «حزب الله وجميع أتباعه في قوى 8 آذار». كلام قطيش لم يعجب النائب السابق الياس عطا الله الذي اعتبر شعار الطلاق «حالة غضب وليس موقفاً سياسياً». وأضاف: «نحن لا نطلّق أحداً». مداخلة عطا الله أدت إلى مشادة كلاميّة مع قطيش نقلتها وسائل الإعلام مباشرةً على الهواء. لكن ما لم تنقله الشاشة هو التلاسن بين قطيش وليانا ابنة الصحافي الراحل سمير قصير، بعدما ادعى قطيش أنّ «الناس في الضاحية توزع البقلاوة». رفضت ابنة قصير اتهام «الناس في الضاحية» وحصر التهمة بـ«الفاعل الحقيقي». لم يعجب الأمر قطيش، فعبّر عن استيائه بكلام خارج السياق. وجددت قصير رفضها لـ«زج الشعارات التحريضيّة في الحدث»، مطالبة الحاضرين بالتعاطف مع الشهداء لا توزيع الاتهامات «ضدّ جميع أهل الضاحية الذين هم جزء من هذه البلاد». وقطيش يحاول أن يكون حاداً، من دون كاريزما سمير قصير 2005 حتى الآن.
بدا قطيش أمس كمن يريد أن يستنسخ تجربة الصحافي فارس خشان. لكنه فاق فارس تأثيراً أمس. أراد أداء دور بوعزيزي بيروت، لكن من دون بنزين. مع

ذلك، كاد «أنصاره» أن يحرقوا شيئاً آخر، غير أجسادهم.

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Angry March 14 and Sunni folks are blocking roads since yesterday with some armed appearances in the north. They might not keep in mind that they could be fulfilling the main objective of the Syrian regime, which is chaos in Lebanon. As if Lebanon is dearer to the regime than Syria…

The politics of Lebanon and Syria has never so interconnected… Sadly, I am picturing how Lebanon is being dragged into this, with the battlefield getting unified. Same fronts, players and motives in both countries…

For now, may the souls of the martyrs and victims rest in peace.

Lebanon Spring Blog

Here we go again. Another Lebanese national figure and innocent people are wasted. Together with reportedly eight others, the head of the Information Branch in the Internal Security Forces (police) in Lebanon Wissam Al-Hassan have been assassinated yesterday in a street bomb in Achrafieh in Beirut.

Early on, I warned and speculated that Saad Hariri could pay a high price for his leading involvement in Syria, and it may now be the payback time. And I feel we are just at the start of something bigger.

Sadly we got used to this terrorist method of political elimination since 2004. This is the 26th political explosion since then, with most ending as assassinations. Ten of these 26 explosions targeted anti-Syrian regime figures, two targeted Information Branch figures (anti-Syrian regime), other ten targeted areas largely known to be Christian, three targeted the Lebanese Army including a military chief, and one explosion targeted a non-leading…

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La république est en deuil, et elle l’est justement. Elle l’est même doublement, pour avoir perdu un de ses hauts fonctionnaires, et pour avoir perdu tout sens républicain face au cynisme des uns et à la récupération des autres. Rita

Worried Lebanese

Hier, la République des fermes a perdu un de ses plus valeureux fonctionnaires, un haut-fonctionnaire de la République, le fidèle fonctionnaire de l’une de ses fermes. Wissam al-Hassan a été assassiné alors qu’il exerçait ses fonctions au sein de la République, au sein de la ferme à laquelle il appartenait, celle qui se proclame fidèle à la mémoire de Hariri (Père et/ou fils) et que certains assimilent au Moustaqbal, celle qui est revendiquée par le XIV Mars® et que se sont arrogés hier les obstructeurs de routes (au nom de la communauté sunnite).
Wissam al-Hassan dirigeait un service des renseignements “ad hoc”, celui des Forces de sécurité intérieure (FSI), façonnée à la mode baathiste, sans assises ni encadrements légaux, à la va-vite, pour répondre à des besoins urgents:  la méfiance qui régnait entre les différentes fermes du pays, le pouvoir attribué à d’autres fermes sur les services sécuritaires existants, le…

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Tumultuous Lebanon, Where the Intelligence War Never Pauses

chers,

a vous l’analyse de la situation par un ami, karim, je reprend son billet comme tel;

rita

SOURCE: The Beirut Entreprise blog : Tumultuous Lebanon, Where the Intelligence War Never Pauses

Dr. Karim El Mufti

University Professor

Political Scientist

It took longer than usual compared with other political assassinations (given the high secrecy linked to security related areas), but the information eventually came out, the head of the Intelligence Branch of the Internal Security Forces (ISF), Brigadier Wissam El Hassan, was targeted and terminated.

1. The political war and Syria

Minutes into the Ashrafieh blast and 14 March local figures were already trying to make political good fortune out of the tragedy, raising the scenario of an alleged targeting of the Kataeb House, or the 14 March General Secretariat office, or even how Syria the terrorist “targeted the heart of a Lebanese Christian area”. The context changed once the announcement broke of the direct plot against the ISF Brigadier, even though the accused party remained the same: Syria had killed Al Hassan in “retaliation of the arrest of Michel Samaha”, the close advisor of Bashar Al Assad ; he was targeted because of the “efforts made by the ISF to stop Syrian infiltrations into Lebanon”.

Blaming directly the Syrian regime for the terrorist blast, self-exiled Saad Hariri was, from day one, trying to use the killing as a high horse to make a comeback onto the Lebanese political landscape after a period of political numbness: “if I were prime minister, my actions would be to stand against Bachar el Assad and say very clearly that anything that will come into Lebanon, if the regime is trying to export its terrorists to Lebanon, we would definitely refuse it”[1].

Other spokespersons from the 14 March coalition carried on with the interpretation that this attack was an export of the Syrian conflict into the heart of the Lebanese capital. As clearly put by Kataeb president and anti-Syrian figure, Amine El Gemayel, to the LBC television : “This regime, which is crumbling, is trying to export its conflict to Lebanon”.

But this explanation falls short when, at the same time, the same anti-Syrian coalition eagerly connected the attack (due to “troubling similarities”) with past attacks on anti-Syrian figures (Gebran Tueni or Antoine Ghanem for instance), at a time when “Syria al Assad” was well up on its feet, way before the civil war there.

Still, there is no doubt in the extensiveness of the blow the anti-Syrian coalition 14 March has just received with the decapitation of the head of a security service loyal to its agenda. Along with other public administrations, like the Council for Reconstruction and Development and Ogero within the Telecommunications Ministry, this ISF branch represented little of what was left of the opposition’s influence within State institutions, remotely led by Saad Hariri since he was removed from power in January of last year. Given the sensitive and strategic nature of the Information Branch within the ISF, needless to say how enduring the hit came to the political leverage of the 14 March coalition.

2. The evidence war and the STL

Wissam Al Hassan was not only a top security operative who made possible the dismantlement of pro-Israeli cells, or the arrest of former Minister Michel Samaha last August for planning to carry out terrorist attacks on Lebanese soil, he was most importantly in charge of the Lebanese side of the investigation of Rafic Hariri’s assassination. Brigadier Al Hassan was hence among the people the prosecutor at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) could count on in order to build his case. In that, the indictment against the four members of Hezbollah is based, in the prosecutor’s own words, on “circumstantial evidence”[2] related to a series of interconnected telecommunications cells that were operating in preparation to the attack, and that were allegedly set up by the four suspects yet to be arrested.

With the overturn of the political equilibrium and the formation of the 8 March pro-Syrian government, which is hostile to the STL work, the intelligence unit run by Brigadier Al Hassan had the mission of keeping the cooperation with the STL’s prosecutor alive. It is important to highlight that the ISF Information Branch is the unit that uncovered the telecommunications cells’ matrix (with the support of another police martyr and IT expert, Captain Wissam Eid, assassinated in January 2008), before linking it to Hezbollah members, and then possibly leaking the information to Der Spiegel who suggested this eventuality in May 2009, two years before the indictment was issued. Since that time, a crucial target shift has taken place, passing from the suspicion of an official Syrian involvement to a Lebanese (Hezbollah) involvement in the assassination of Rafic Hariri.

As such, anti-Hezbollah formations in Lebanon had high hopes in the work of the ISF intelligence branch as it was fuelling, genuinely or not, the accusation party, despite the loss of control over the government. Whether these pieces of evidence were authentic or not was never really the primary concern of the 14 March coalition. Some opposition figures, like Samir Geagea, chose to entirely endorse the views of the prosecutor as to the involvement of Hezbollah suspects[3], even before the pre-trial Judge had set a trial date, whereas Hezbollah officials regularly rejected the telecommunications related evidence considering it fabricated.

This evidence war, that will contribute to determine the fate and outcome of the coming trial, has put Brigadier Wissam El Hassan at the centre of a vast intelligence (national, regional and international) confrontation, as he fell victim of irreconcilable conflicting interests where the battles behind the scenes never pause.

3. The 14 March window of opportunity to regain political ground

For the opposition group, the killing of Al Hassan has hence taken away a strong Lebanese ally in the investigation team that would have been keen on beefing up the accusation party against the four Hezbollah suspects, especially with the trial date (in abstentia) approaching and fixed to 25 March 2013. In the minds of 14 March figures, as the trial would advance against Hezbollah members, the popularity of the party of God would be shaken, and this during election year.

Until then, fearing another May 2008 violent showdown, 14 March leaders have decided to throw their internal wrath against Nagib Mikati. The prime minister now faces a tough spot as the attack happened on his watch while he is representing a pro-Syrian government, despite ingenious manoeuvring to escape impossible contradictions during his mandate through decisions that digressed from core 8 March interests. We can mention for instance the funding of the Lebanese share of the STL, the spearheading of aid towards the Syrian displaced usually considered as supporting the Free Syrian Army, or the freezing of the wage increase, an important component of 8 March agenda, as a gesture to the private sector. At the end of the line, Prime Minister Mikati offered his resignation that has been, curious constitutional outcome, “suspended”, as he is today threatened by experiencing the same political fate as Omar Karame whose political carrier crashed back in April 2005 in close circumstances.

Accumulating political and street pressure against the present prime minister is a convenient way for 14 March to be blaming a Sunni official for the death of another Sunni official, hence hitting on Hezbollah’s hold over the government in an indirect fashion without being accused of fuelling sectarianism, and eventually try and bring it down. This short-term battle represents, for opposition figures, a small window of opportunity to regain some political capital a few months before the 2013 elections, but at the cost of maintaining Lebanon in a state of tumult.

Beirut, 21 October 2012

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[1] Saad Hariri interview to CNN, reported by The Daily Star, 20 October 2012, available athttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2012/Oct-20/192109-hariri-tells-cnn-hasan-killed-over-samaha-case.ashx#ixzz29owAYqFW

[2] §3, p.3 of the indictment

[3] Press conference of Samir Geagea in Meerab on 27 August 2011, cf. Geagea : L’acte d’accusation est basé sur suffisamment de preuves, L’Orient-Le Jour, 28 August 2011.

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Explosion in Beirut Sassine … the Ugly truth and the Actions needed

I hate to see such messages on my feeds:

I have covered the user’s name maybe they’ll be more mature in there comments next time,

in such difficult times, LEBANESE should all WORK together for PEACE !!!  And the RULE OF LAW;

after Beirut explosion, that my colleagues and I heard from museum square while having lunch,

I was on twitter, Facebook and internet to follow what happened;

we now know that this is an explosion, political or not I don’t care:

it is important to reduce risks for those who were injured:

this is what I propose:

1- donating blood: in all Beirut Hospitals for those who were injured

2- keep calm and let the inquirers find out what happened;

3- mobilise for those who lost their homes, cars and assets with such an explosion…

4- Leave the scene for Red cross and defense! .. observers can you evacuate the scene ? and let people do their work and save Lives??

hatred message among diverse Lebanese will not help in constructing a COUNTRY!!

May God help all those who were injured,

RITA CHEMALY

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Job vacancy @ Oxfam GB || Regional Advocacy and Media Officer‏ lebanon

Oxfam is committed to working with others to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice. We have a conviction that people are capable of building a livelihood without poverty on their own, once given the chance to do so.

Oxfam has been working in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for over five decades and over the past four decades promoting gender equality and supporting women’s right to participate and be represented in governance and decision-making structures and processes.

This focus is complementary to other areas of Oxfam’s work on women’s rights and to the broader goal of Oxfam to contribute to a ‘world without poverty.’ Oxfam is committed to supporting women, men and children living in poverty, to claim their rights to sustainable livelihoods, to basic social services, to life and security, to be heard, and to an identity.

AMAL is a three-year multi-country programme to be implemented jointly by Oxfam Great Britain, Oxfam Novib, Intermon Oxfam and partners, which is aimed to promote active participation and leadership of women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, including the poorest and most marginalised women, in local, national and regional governance structures and decision-making processes, thereby ensuring that they have a say in formulation of and/or their needs and priorities are reflected in socio-economic policies and practice affecting them at all levels. The programme is set to be implemented in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Morocco, Tunisia and Yemen. In this framework Oxfam is recruiting for a:

National Vacancy

Regional Advocacy and Media Officer

Full time position

Based in Beirut, Lebanon (may move to   Cairo, Egypt in the course of the project)

One year fixed term national contract with possibility of renewal

Purpose of the function

Main role to lead the AMAL program regional advocacy campaign based on regional research to be conducted in the first year of the project on women’s leadership and political participation. To analyse relevant developments in the national/regional political and economic context. With regard to campaigning and/or lobby agendas, to identify external (national, regional and when relevant global) decision-makers to press to adopt and implement the policy positions of Oxfam and partners. To establish and maintain regular contact with these key regional players/ decision makers. To assist/advise partner organizations in developing their lobby, advocacy and campaigning activities. To oversee the media work with 2 regional partners.

The function

In close co-operation with the Oxfam AMAL program team staff and regional counterparts and on the basis of the research on womens political participation conducted in the first year of the program, you will lead on the formulation and implementation of the AMAL program lobby, advocacy and media strategy, including as needed the development of advocacy and media materials (policy lines, talking points, reports, papers, letters, flyers, press releases, stories.) You report to the Regional Gender Lead of Oxfam Novib, with matrix management by the Programme Coordinator. You are a member of the AMAL program management team for the region.

You will identify key issues and opportunities for lobby and campaigning. You ensure that all media and advocacy statements are signed off in accordance with agreed Oxfam procedures prior to publication. You will liaise with the Oxfam reams in Yemen, OPT, Tunisia and Morocco in this regard.

You will lead as part of the regional advocacy campaign of the AMAL in producing 2 policy briefs/reports focusing on the women’s rights and policies in the MENA region to share with policy decision makers at global regional levels. Throughout the AMAL programme you will identify women change agents and develop stories on these women for wider dissemination.

You will maintain contact with Oxfam staff and local partner organisations in relation to development of Oxfam policy, advocacy and media work in relation to the AMAL program . You are responsible for identifying, organising, facilitating and if needed monitoring of capacity building strategies on media and advocacy target beneficiaries and partners. The partners will receive on the job training on development of advocacy strategies and most importantly lead on research on gaining women’s perception and aspirations in rural areas to inform their sub-nation and national media and advocacy campaigns targeting national, regional and global institutions and authorities.

You identify partner needs in the area of advocacy, lobby and media, and develop programs reinforcing lobby and media activities and you ensure that the activities are in line with Oxfam Southern campaigning principles.

You facilitate the networking between partners and relevant external actors including knowledge & research institutes in relation to policy, advocacy and media, and initiate and facilitate reports and any publications in this area. You will support partners to be linked together via an interactive community of practice, linked to Face-book and Twitter, where organisations can upload videos and pictures, share news, chat and network. During years two and three of the programme implementation, in collaboration with country teams, you will pilot an innovative virtual ‘e-twinning programme’, which will link women’s organisations in the region that are in different stages of development.

You will contribute to raising the voice of women activists from around the region, by facilitating delegations of women to key targets and decision makers in the UK governments, and EU. In Europe partner organizations will link up with NGOs such as WIDE to facilitate and accompany the missions. You will facilitate the delegations and be responsible to develop and agree key messages regarding women’s socio, economic and political rights.

During year three, together with two regional partner organizations you will implement a campaign on the identified policy issue that advocates for women’s rights and agree with all countries on the priorities and the brand of the campaign.

You have ●Completed an academic degree in political science, development studies, sociology, communication or related field; ●Demonstrable recent and substantial work experience with NGOs in the Middle East in Maghreb, experience in capacity building with NGOs is an asset; ●Experience in policy, advocacy, campaigning and media/communications work at local, national and international levels; ●Familiarity with and previous experience with working with social media. ●Gender development and/or women’s right background;●Ability to influence others, excellent social skills and a team player; ●Experience of working in insecure environments and adhering to security protocol ●Experience of working in a multicultural team environment with both national/global staff Knowledge of and sensitivity to conservative Islamic cultures is a distinct advantage ●High level of flexibility with the ability to produce creative and pragmatic solutions to complex/ambiguous operational problems ●Excellent communication skills in English; fluency in written/spoken Arabic and in spoken/written French. ●Readiness to undertake regular travel to offices in the field ●Applicants must be legally entitled to work in Lebanon.

We offer

A competitive, fair pay and benefits package that is justifiable to our donors. This position will be a national contract, recruited primarily in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Application procedure

Are you interested? Send your application in writing, including a motivation letter and a curriculum vitae and mentioning reference number 5-159 to jobs@oxfamnovib.nl to the attention of Ewa van den Berg, HR Consultant of Oxfam Novib, no later than October 30, 2012.

Information on the job is available with Mirjam Andriessen +31 6 10973441 of Oxfam Novib. Information on the contract and procedure is available with Mrs Natalia Arkhipova of Oxfam Great Britain at: NArkhipova@oxfam.org.uk

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Job Vacancy short-term consultant for workshop coordination Lebanon

Regional Economic Empowerment of Women Project

 

Regional Business Development Knowledge Initiative

 

Announcement for immediate recruitment

of a short-term consultant for workshop coordination

                                                                   

Within the framework of its Regional Economic Empowerment of Women Project (REEWP), CRTD.A is leading on an internal regional learning initiative for project partners, focusing on “opportunities and challenges for marketing”. REEWP is a regional project managed by Oxfam-Québec and funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), covering four countries (Tunisia, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon), and aiming at creating an enabling environment for the sustainable economic development of women and economic empowerment opportunities in the Arab region.

The main goal of this regional initiative is to reflect and share knowledge on experiences and best practices in marketing of women’s crafts and food processed goods as well as build the capacities of key partners’ organisations (KPOs) and selected counterparts for creating sustainable marketing initiatives.

 

More specifically, the objectives of this initiative are conceived to be inter-connected as follows:

 

a.  Gain practical exposure to actual marketing experiences and tease out tangible dos’ and don’ts.

b.  Gain a better conceptual and practical understanding of the impact of macro and micro contextual factors, which would determine the effectiveness, and viability of a marketing operation.

c.  Reflect collectively on potentially new and promising marketing initiatives.

d.  Provide a space for KPOs and counterparts to develop their own skills for improving their marketing initiatives.

e.  Contribute to strengthening relations amongst KPOs and between KPOs and their own contexts.

 

 

Two activities are envisaged to take place from October 2012 to March 2013, namely a regional exchange workshopfollowed by a capacity building training workshop.

 

CRTD.A is seeking to recruit a short-term consultant to serve as the coordinator of the regional BDS learning initiative.

 

The tasks and responsibilities of the consultant have been set as follows:

 

1.  Undertake all the logistical and administrative preparations for the two activities

2.  Develop the needed documentations and research papers

3.  Liaise with the facilitators to be recruited for each event

4.  Liaise with partners and stakeholders

5.  Attend the two events and prepare the reports and minutes of the two events

 

The ideal candidate should meet the following requirements:

 

1.  University degree in social sciences or humanities

2.  Excellent organization and coordination skills

3.  Familiarity with issues related to economic empowerment and marketing as well as gender equality

4.  Excellent writing skills in both English and Arabic

5.  Excellent communication skills

6.  Ability to work under pressure and meet multiple deadlines

 

The successful candidate is expected to work up to 30 days during a 5 month long period.

 

Interested candidates should send their CV, a detailed application letter and three references to vacancy@crtda.org.lb  Please indicate “BDS Consultant” in the subject line.

 

Selection is on an immediate and rolling basis. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

 

 

**********************************

 

المشروع الإقليمي لتمكين النساء إقتصادياً

إعلان لتوظيف فوري

منسق/ة المبادرة الإقيليمية لتبادل المعرفة

في إطار عمل المشروع الإقليمي لتمكين النساء إقتصادياً، والذي تديره منظمة أوكسفام كيبيك، بدعم مالي من الوكالة الكندية للتنمية الدولية، والذي يهدف إلى المساهمة في توفير البيئة الملائمة لتحقيق التنمية المستدامة للنساء وزيادة فرص التمكين الاقتصادي لهن في المنطقة العربية، تقوم مجموعة الأبحاث والتدريب للعمل التنموي، بتنفيذ مبادرة إقليمية لتبادل المعرفة وبناء القدرات بين شركاء المشروع حول الفرص والتحديات التي تواجه تسويق المنتجات الحرفية والغذائية النسائية.
تهدف هذه المبادرة الإقليمية إلى تبادل الخبرات، دراسة التجارب الناجحة في التسويق، وبناء قدرات الشركاء الرئيسيين للمشروع من اجل خلق فرص تسويقية مستدامة لمنتجات النساء.

 

حددت اهداف هذه المبادرة على الوجه التالي:

أ. إكتساب معرفة تطبيقية قائمة على تجارب فعلية في التسويق الأمر مما سيساهم في تحديد خيارات ملموسة خلال عملية التسويق.

ب. تعزيز الفهمين النظري والعملي لعوامل الإقتصاد الكلي والجزئي، المؤثرة في العملية التسويقية.

ج. التفكير معاً حول مبادرات تسويقية جديدة وواعدة.

د. توفير مساحة للشركاء الرئيسيين للمشروع لتطوير مهاراتهم الخاصة بتحسين المبادرات التسويقية

ه. توثيق عرى العلاقات ما بين الشركاء أنفسهم، وبين الشركاء ومحيطهم.

 

بموجب الخطة الموضوعة للمبادرة، سيتم تنظيم نشاطين خلال الفترة الممتدة ما بين أكتوبر 2012 ومارس 2013، الأول، ورشة عمل إقليمية لتبادل الخبرات حول موضوع التسويق، والثاني، ورشة تدريبية لبناء القدرات في مجال التسويق.

 

لذلك، تسعى مجموعة الأبحاث والتدريب للعمل التنموي لاستخدام خبير/ة بعقد استشاري قصير الاجل لشغل وظيفة منسق/ة للمبادرة الإقليمية لتبادل المعرفة.

 

وبموجب عقد العمل المقترح، يتولى/تتولى الخبير/ة المهمات والمسؤوليات التالية:

 

1.  إنجاز جميع الإستعدادات اللوجستية والإدارية الخاصة بالنشاطين المذكورين أعلاه

2.  إعداد كل الوثائق والأوراق البحثية المطلوبة

3.  التنسيق مع الميسرين/ات الذين سيتم تعيينهم لكل نشاط

4.  التنسيق مع الشركاء  وكل المعنيين الآخرين

5.  حضور الورشتين وإعداد التقارير الخاصة بهما فضلاً عن تدوين محاضر الإجتماعات

 

على المتقدم/ة للوظيفة أن تتوفر لديه/ها المواصفات التالية:

 

1. حيازة شهادة جامعية في العلوم الاجتماعية أو العلوم الإنسانية

2.  مهارات تنظيمية وتنسيقية ممتازة

3.  معرفة بالقضايا المتعلقة بالتمكين الاقتصادي، التسويق، والمساواة في النوع الإجتماعي

4.  قدرة ممتازة على الكتابة باللغتين العربية والإنجليزية

5.  مهارات تواصل عالية

6.  قدرة على العمل تحت الضغط والإلتزام بالمواعيد النهائية

 

تستغرق المهمة الإستشارية 30 يوماً تمتد من تشرين الأول 2012 وحتى نهاية آذار 2013.

 

على المرشحين/ات المهتمين/ات إرسال سيرتهم/ن الذاتية، إضافة الى رسالة تعريف شخصية، وثلاثة اسماء لاشخاص معرّفين، على العنوان التالي: vacancy@crtda.org.lb، على أن يتم الإشارة في عنوان الرسالة الى “وظيفة إستشاري/ة لمنسق المبادرة الإقليمية لتبادل المعرفة”

 

تجري عملية فض الرسائل وإختيار المرشحين/ات فور بدء استلام الطلبات على أن يتم الإتصال فقط بالمرشحين/ات الذين واللواتي يقع عليهم/ن الاختيار للمقابلة

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Congratulations Lebanese women can now have 60 days of Maternity Leave

The council of Ministers has Approved during his session on October 10 2012, the amendment of article 15 of the Public Code of Contractuals , Nizam el Am lil Oujara2! 🙂

now, a woman contractual in the public sphere can benefit from a 60 day maternity leave instead of a 40 days maternity leave!!!!

Hourray!!! We are still waiting for the amendment of the Labor law articles 28-29 (maternity leave), and hoping to extend this maternity leave to at least 10 weeks   in Lebanon… for all female employees!!!

A great Step forward By the Council of Ministers!!!

Rita Chemaly

Take a break… I arrive Mum!!

for you the article as it appears in the decisions of the Council of ministers:

الموافقة على طلب الهيئة الوطنية لشؤون المرأة اللبنانية تعديل المادة 15 من المرسوم رقم 5883 تاريخ 3/10/1994 وتعديلاته (النظام العام للأجراء) بحيث تعطى الأجيرة الحامل , إجازة بأجر كامل , تدعى إجازة أمومة , مدتها /60/ يوما

 

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en Avril Le Conseil des Ministres Allonge le Conge maternite a 10 semaines…

Une petite phrase qui peut passer inaperçue, dans un gros paragraphe de l’article du quotidien l’Orient d’Avril 2012 ( le 21 avril 2012 plus précisement).

“Si les décisions adoptées hier par le Conseil des ministres ordinaire réuni au Sérail sous la présidence de Nagib Mikati (confirmer le prix de la « rabta » de pain à 1 500 LL après une très longue discussion sur le prix du blé ; amender la loi sur le contrat de location et allonger le congé maternité qui passe de 40 jours à 10 semaines…) restent relativement importantes, ce n’est pas ce que l’on retiendra de la réunion d’hier, mais plutôt les commentaires du Premier ministre sur les trois jours de débats de politique générale suivis du vote de confiance, dans la nuit de jeudi à vendredi, au Parlement. ”

Le Conseil des ministres a, en Avril 2012, donné son Accord sur l’allongement du CONGé maternité a 10 semaines!

oui…. cela reste une avancée, même si incomplète… le projet est un Projet de loi presenté par des parlementaires, au Parlement… donc la nécessité d’un vote en session plénière est de rigueur!

Alors, chers parlementaires, chers “metteurs de l’agenda des sessions parlementaires plénières”, Bougez vous, et mettez s’il vous plait l’amendement du Code du travail( article 28-29) et celui des fonctionnaires (article 38) sur l’Agenda de notre chère Eminente Assemblée!

les députés doivent légiférer!! et créer des lois Justes et équitables pour le  bien être des Femmes et citoyennes libanaises, au lieu de se perdre dans des discussions politiques futiles.

Les femmes attendent!! Notamment celles qui attendent de futurs petits et ptites citoyennes!!

Rita Chemaly….

ps: regardez en dessous même le titre de l’article nous induit en erreur… au lieu de créer et amender des lois, les discussions politiques  politiciennes nous perdent!!!

Avis aux Citoyens! Bougez!

Rita future Bride to be! et mum to be iza allah rad

 

 

Mikati : Certaines interventions au Parlement ont dépassé les limites d’une opposition responsable et constructive

Si les décisions adoptées hier par le Conseil des ministres ordinaire réuni au Sérail sous la présidence de Nagib Mikati (confirmer le prix de la « rabta » de pain à 1 500 LL après une très longue discussion sur le prix du blé ; amender la loi sur le contrat de location et allonger le congé maternité qui passe de 40 jours à 10 semaines…) restent relativement importantes, ce n’est pas ce que l’on retiendra de la réunion d’hier, mais plutôt les commentaires du Premier ministre sur les trois jours de débats de politique générale suivis du vote de confiance, dans la nuit de jeudi à vendredi, au Parlement.
« La confiance réaccordée au gouvernement doit être un tremplin vers davantage de solidarité au sein du cabinet et davantage de travail pour mener à bien la mission qui est la nôtre », a dit le ministre de l’Information p.i. Waël Bou Faour citant Nagib Mikati. Ce dernier a jugé que « certaines interventions ont dépassé les limites d’une opposition responsable et constructive », estimant toutefois que les remarques et autres idées des députés « doivent être prises en considération et étudiées par les ministres ». M. Mikati a tenu à insister sur la coopération entre législatif et exécutif, invitant les ministres « à ne pas être influencés par les critiques, même si elles étaient parfois illogiques, à y répondre scientifiquement et à traiter avec l’ensemble des citoyens, sans exception aucune », quelle que soit leur appartenance communautaire, en allusion aux critiques formulées dans l’hémicycle sur des pratiques anticoexistence et iniques exercées dans certains ministères.

« Le PM a rappelé que le gouvernement avait beaucoup à faire concernant le budget, les législatives de 2013, les nominations et les permutations, ainsi que sur les dossiers des ressources naturelles et de l’électricité. Il est persuadé que le cabinet va être de nouveau à la hauteur de la confiance des députés », a poursuivi le ministre Bou Faour, qui a révélé qu’un débat a eu lieu sur ces séances parlementaires. « Nous nous sommes entendus sur la nécessité de réduire les tensions et les atteintes à l’unité nationale », a-t-il dit, avant d’évoquer un compte rendu sur la situation des hôpitaux publics par le ministre de la Santé – un sujet auquel le Conseil des ministres consacrera une séance spéciale. De même, le ministre de l’Économie Nicolas Nahas a évoqué le dialogue en cours avec le syndicat des boulangers, proposant « trois solutions ». Il a été chargé de discuter davantage avec le syndicat.

Bou Faour : Il n’y a « rien » à fêter…
Enfin, Waël Bou Faour, dans une discussion avec les journalistes, s’est arrêté sur une « information rapportée par les médias selon laquelle le PM a offert de la knefé aux ministres pour fêter le résultat du vote de confiance ». « M. Mikati est généreux, surtout avec les produits de Tripoli, mais le sujet ne prête pas à la plaisanterie : il n’y a rien à fêter concernant ce vote de confiance », a-t-il affirmé, tout en remerciant les députés de l’avoir accordée. « Rien à fêter parce que l’intensité des crispations et des tensions et certains discours sectaires ne laissent présager rien de bon, et cette limite jamais atteinte jette, je le pense, des poids supplémentaires sur les épaules du gouvernement. Ce qui s’est passé prouve que ce gouvernement bénéficie encore de la majorité, mais la stabilité a de quoi s’inquiéter », a-t-il mis en garde.

Source l’Orient le Jour 21 avril 2012

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Job Vacancy with Oxfam…. MEAL officer

Job Reference no.

INT5764

Region

Middle East, Eastern Europe and CIS

Location

Beirut

Division

International

Department

Position Type

Fixed Term

Job Type

Experienced

Closing date for applications
(UK Time)

16 October 2012

MEAL Officer

 

LOCATION: Beirut
JOB FAMILY: Programme
SALARY: $Competitive
LEVEL: D1 National

OXFAM PURPOSE: To work with others to find lasting solutions to poverty and suffering.
TEAM PURPOSE: To work as part of the AMAL programme management team to effectively deliver the AMAL programme for maximum benefit for women in the Middle East and North Africa region.

JOB PURPOSE: To lead and support the development and implementation of effective and coordinated MEAL systems for the AMAL programme to support quality delivery as per Oxfam standards.

For more information about Oxfam’s work in the Middle East, please visit our website.

 

Background

 

Oxfam has been working in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for over five decades. Over the past four decades it has been promoting gender equality and supporting women’s right to participate and be represented in governance and decision-making structures and processes.

This focus is complementary to other areas of Oxfam’s work on women’s rights and to the broader goal of Oxfam to contribute to a ‘world without poverty.’ Oxfam is committed to supporting women, men and children, living in poverty, to claim their rights to sustainable livelihoods, to basic social services, to life and security, to be heard, and to an identity.

AMAL is a three-year multi-country programme to be implemented jointly by Oxfam GB, Oxfam Novib, Intermon Oxfam and partners. It is aimed to promote active participation and leadership of women in the MENA region, including the poorest and most marginalised women, in local, national and regional governance structures and decision-making processes. By doing so, the programme aims to ensure that they have a say in formulation and/or their needs and priorities are reflected in socio-economic policies and practice at all levels. The programme is set to be implemented in the OPTs, Morocco, Tunisia and Yemen.

 

Key Responsibilities

 

• To develop programme MEAL systems in accordance with Oxfam standards
• To ensure relevant Oxfam team, partners, target groups and community capacity building and participation in MEAL
• To provide analysis and presentation of MEAL data

 

For more details, please read the attached job profile (below).

 

Skills and Competence

 

Essential

• Knowledge and experience of establishing and maintaining effective monitoring and evaluation systems for development projects
• Experience of gathering, analysing and presenting quantitative and qualitative data
• Proven ability to work effectively with others – strong interpersonal skills
• Excellent facilitation and training skills
• Good organisational skills including accuracy, consistency, attention to detail and patience
• Ability to show perseverance, tenacity and the ability to work under pressure
• A strong focus on results – sets goals, plans and prioritises effectively, monitors quality and progress of work against plans, establishes high level of performance and sets an example to others
• Demonstrable understanding of gender and rights based approaches to development
• Experience of using participatory approaches in development projects
• Able to communicate effectively in written and spoken English and Arabic
• Commitment to Oxfam’s values

Desirable

• Previous experience with Oxfam
• Previous experience of working on projects related to women’s empowerment
• Ability to speak French

Other

• Ability to travel extensively in the region

How to Apply

For a more detailed overview of the role, please read the attached job profile.

Applications must be submitted online via the link below, by Tuesday 16th October 2012.

Applying for a job? Here is a guide to help you make the most out of the application process.

Vous souhaitez postuler à une offre d’emploi ? Ce guide vous aidera à maximiser vos chances. .

Source: http://www.i-grasp.com/fe/tpl_oxfam.asp?newms=jj&id=39295&rss=1

 

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Following the news about racism with MEA employees (click here) at Beirut’s International Airport (I refuse to call it by that other name), MEA has issued a statement. Of course, they were sort of forced to seeing as the story went viral. from a separate state of mind…. my favorite blog!

A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares

Following the news about racism with MEA employees (click here) at Beirut’s International Airport (I refuse to call it by that other name), MEA has issued a statement. Of course, they were sort of forced to seeing as the story went viral.

This is their response:

To our loyal customers and fans,

We are aware of the purported incident that took place on the 6th October 2012 at Beirut International Airport, and appreciate your patience while a full investigation by MEA is underway. Please rest assured that MEAs policy is not to tolerate discriminatory or racist behavior in any form from our employees, and that appropriate measures will be taken once the facts of the incident are brought to light.

Yours sincerely,
The MEA Team

Is it lackluster? Yes. Does it feel forced? You bet. Is it color by number? Definitely. Will it calm people down? Perhaps it will.

View original post 196 more words

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Racism With Middle East Airlines (MEA)

Racism With Middle East Airlines (MEA).

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Training for peace… and building bridges in Lebanon

this weekend a training will be held for peace and building bridges.

دعوة لحضور ورشة عمل تدريبية تحت عنوان: ” من أجل بناء جسور للسلام” في إطار برنامج “معاً للسلام” الذي تنظّمه إدارة                                    محطتيّ التلفزة تيليلوميير ونورسات الفضائية في الفترة ما بين 6 و11 تشرين الأول 2012 ، في مقرّهما الرئيسي – الدورة

للاستفسار، الإتصال على الرقمين التاليين: من الساعة الثامنة صباحاً حتى الخامسة مساء على الرقم01255500 أو بعد الساعة الخامسة مساء على

الرقم 03155005، علماً بأن الأماكن محدودة.

Do not hesitate to participate… peace be upon you all in this crowdy, stressful country and environment! rita

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“PARTNERSHIP FOR CHANGE: EMPOWERING WOMEN” INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S SUMMIT

 

a very interesting intiative I am not sure they have a # for us to follow waht is being discussed and shared, but that will be help women from the region that were not able to attend, to participate in the discussions!

2 more days!

Partnership for Change: Empowering Women

Oct. 4-6, 2012

Pristina, Kosovo

 

The International Women’s Summit hosted by President of the Republic of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, will address women’s economic development, political participation, and social status, and the inclusion of women in the security, business, and justice sectors. A diverse group of more than 200 public and private sector leaders from Kosovo, neighboring countries in southeastern Europe, as well as from wider Europe, North America, the Middle East, North Africa and elsewhere, will convene for three days of discussions. Scheduled participants include Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State and NDI chairman, and Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues.

Source: http://www.ndi.org/node/19382

 

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La democratie a l’epreuve de Jean Jacques Rousseau a l’Institut des Sciences Politiques de Beyrouth

A l’occasion du tricentenaire de Jean Jacques Rousseau, l‘Institut des Sciences Politiques de l’Universite Saint Joseph en cooperation avec l’Ambassade Suisse au Liban, organisent une Conference debat sur le theme de La démocratie a l’épreuve de la pensée de Jean Jacques Rousseau,

Intervenants :
– Monsieur Guillaume Chenevière, Sociologue et Journaliste Suisse, Directeur
de la Télévision Suisse Romande
– Monsieur Antoine Messarra, Professeur à l’Institut des sciences politiques
– S.E Monsieur Adnan El Sayed Hussein, Recteur de l’Université Libanaise
Modérateur :
S.E Monsieur Georges Corm, Professeur à l’Institut des sciences politiques.

Le lundi 8 octobre 2012 à 17h00
Amphithéâtre Walid Ben Talal à l’ISP – Bâtiment A – 5e étage,
Campus des sciences sociales – Rue Huvelin, Achrafieh.

affiche La democratie libanaise a l’epreuve de jean jacques rousseau ISP rita chemaly

 

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Les femmes Libanaises et le Droit d’ouvrir des comptes bancaires a leurs enfants mineurs

au Liban, la femme libanaise n’avait pas le droit d’ouvrir un compte bancaire a ses enfants mineurs.

Apres moults efforts, La Commission Nationale pour La Femme Libanaise, a reussi a demande  a l’association des banques d’emettre un circulaire permettant aux femmes d’ouvrir un compte bancaire a ses enfants mineurs… le compte fiduciaire….

les pressions sur les banques continuent, mais peu de banques osent le faire;

ci-dessous un article sur le sujet

حق الأم في فتح حساب مصرفي لولدها القاصر

تناضل المرأة في لبنان من أجل الحصول على حقوقها والمساواة بينها وبين الرجل، وقد مرت مسيرة النضال بمراحل عدة ولم تلحظ حق المرأة في إجازة فتح حساب مصرفي لولدها. فدرج في معظم المصارف عدم تخويل الأم فتح حساب دائن لولدها القاصر بسبب الولاية الجبرية للأب على أولاده القاصرين.

سمح البنك اللبناني للتجارة(BLC bank)  أخيراً للمرأة بفتح حساب مصرفي لولدها القاصر عبر حملة” we” التي تسعى الى إحقاق المساواة بين الرجل والمرأة على صعيد العقود المصرفية ومن أجل التخفيف من العوائق التي قد تواجه المرأة والرجل على السواء عند فتح حساب مصرفي لاولادهما”. هذا ما أفادت به “النهار”المسؤولة عن دائرة التسويق والإنتاج في البنك اللبناني للتجارة كاريل إيكيليان، وأضافت: “نحن فخورون بهذه المبادرة ونقوم بمبادرات عدة لمساعدة المرأة للحصول على حقوقها مصرفيا. وبالنسبة الى حقها في فتح حساب مصرفي لولدها القاصر فلا قانون يمنع ذلك. كما أنه عام 2009 قامت جمعية المصارف مع بعض المحامين النخبة بإيجاد بعض الحلول للعوائق التي قد تنتج من خضوع المسائل المصرفية المتعلقة بالقاصرين للولي الجبري وهو الأب أو الجد في حال غياب الأول، وهذا ما شجعنا على السماح للمرأة بفتح حساب مصرفي لولدها القاصر باسمها ويكون هو المستفيد منه إلى أن يبلغ الثامنة عشرة من عمره فيتحول الحساب إلى إسمه”.

دراسة قانونية 

في دراسة قانونية للمحامي بول مرقص “أن الولاية الجبرية جاءت لتسد بالأساس نقصا في الإدراك عند القاصر، من قبل الأب، وبالتالي يختار ويلتزم الأب باسم الولد القاصر، أي أن الولاية الجبرية وجدت لحماية القاصر وأمواله”.
وهنا لا بد من التساؤل: هل المرأة عاجزة عن سد النقص الإدراكي لولدها؟ وما هي الشروط التي تخولها تمثيل ابنها في العقود المصرفية؟
أسئلة أجاب عنها مرقص قائلاً: “إن أهلية أداء أو إلتزام المرأة قانوناً غير منقوصة إذ أن هذه الأهلية تخولها إجراء جميع التصرفات القانونية ولا سيما منها التفرغات من دون الرجوع إلى الزوج أو إلى أي ولي آخر، ومن ذلك وهب أموالها المنقولة وغير المنقولة إلى ولدها. فللمرأة ذمة مالية مستقلة عن ذمة الزوج تعطيها استقلالاً مالياً وكل ما تكتسبه عبر عملها المأجور أو بالإرث أو بأي طريقة أخرى يدخل في ذمتها وتنفقه كما تشاء”.
يستخلص من ذلك أن فتح حساب مصرفي، وبالأخص دائن، لمصلحة الولد القاصر، يجب عدم مقاربته من زاوية السلطة الوالدية أو الولاية الجبرية على القاصر بل من زاوية الأعمال النافعة للقاصر. وبرأي مرقص “الحل ليس في تعديل القوانين المتعلقة بالولاية الجبرية إنما في تفعيل سائر نصوص القانون

Source : An Nahar الوضعي اللبناني التي تجيز للمرأة فتح حساب لمصلحة ولدها القاصر”.

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Euromed Youth Information Session / Séance d’information Euromed Jeunesse

Version française ci-dessous

The Euromed Youth Unit in Lebanon invites all interested youth organizations and potential applicants to its informative session which will be held on Monday, the 8th of October 2012 at 15h00 at Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium – Beirut.

The session will be providing general information on the EuroMed Youth IV Program, its objectives as well as on the Guidelines for Applicants relevant to the call for proposal launched by the Euromed Youth Unit on Thursday the 27th of August and which deadlines for submitting proposals are Thursday the 1st of November 2012 and Tuesday the 15th of January 2013.

Please send your confirmation for attendance to the following e-mail address:

EMYU.Lebanon@euromedyouth.net

FR

L’Unité Euromed Jeunesse-Liban a le plaisir d’inviter toutes les organisations de jeunesse intéressées et les candidats éventuels à sa séance d’information qui prendra lieu le lundi, le 8 Octobre 2012 à 15h00 à la Cité sportive Camille Chamoun – Beyrouth.

Des informations générales sur le programme EuroMed Jeunesse IV, ses objectifs ainsi que sur ses lignes directrices pour les candidats adéquats à l’appel à proposition lancé le 27 aout 2012 seront fournis durant cette séance.

Veuillez confirmer votre participation à l’adresse e-mail:

EMYU.Lebanon@euromedyouth.net

See online : Arabic version

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Consultancy for the visioning exercise of the men’s forum and Steering Committee for the project Promoting Working with men and boys to end Violence against Women in the Middle Eastt

Terms of Reference

Consultancy for the visioning exercise of the men’s forum and Steering Committee for the project

“Promoting Working with men and boys to end Violence against Women in the Middle East”

in Jordan, oPt and North Iraq

 

1. Programme background

 

The growing global debate on the role of men in promoting gender equality pursued Oxfam GB to explore this area, due to the tremendous work of the organization in promoting gender equality, in particular addressing the structural barriers to women’s development, in particular violence against women. Accordingly, since 2008 Oxfam started a regional programme with the aim of engaging men in ending violence against women. The key programme components included: 1) capacity building of women’s organizations that are engaged in ending VAW; either service providers for women’s survivors of violence or as actors in empowering women to speak up on violence; 2) research component that analysed masculinity; and 3) promoting the role of men as key actors in ending violence against women by establishing a men’s forum and launching White Ribbon Campaign.  At the pilot phase 2008-2011, the programme was implemented in Lebanon, and leveraged the learning, in particular the capacity building component to other countries in the region including Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Syria and Yemen. A men’s forum was established in Baalbeck, Lebanon conducting different awareness raising sessions at the community level. During the course of the pilot phase implementation, in order to promote the approach of working with men to end violence against women; Oxfam encouraged the partner in Lebanon engaged in the implementation to establish Steering Committee from various stakeholders. The final evaluation of the programme, informed the need for moving the Steering Committee mandate from being a project driven to encompass a group of stakeholders that are interested to work around the approach of working with men and boys to end violence against women.

 

Based on the success model of the pilot phase, in January 2011, Oxfam started the implementation of Phase II of the programme, in partnership with national CSOs in the region. Phase II is funded by the European Union (EU) for the period 2011-2013.  The overall project objective is to contribute to the efforts of civil society organizations in the Middle East in countering gender stereotypes to combat the root causes of Violence against Women with the specific objective of improvement in the attitudes and practices of men and government policies to end VAW in the Middle East, specifically in Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Palestine. Major components of this project include the establishment of the men’s forum and the enhancement of the coordination and networking among organizations and relevant stakeholders through the formations of Steering Committee in each country where the programme is implemented.

 

In Lebanon, KAFA began to support community-based organisations to establish a men’s forum in Baalbek, a work that has been started in Lebanon during the pilot phase of the project of working with men and boys to EVAW back in 2009. During the first phase, Oxfam GB supported and funded activities at universities, among farmers, religious leaders and youth that focused on various interests of men in different groups, but also included violence against women.  It is expected that 50 enlightened men from the four targeted countries will form the men’s forums and will deliver their priority action plan for change. Based on the lessons learned working with men’s forum inBaalbeck, there is a necessity to conduct a vision building exercise with the members of new forums in order to: Define the purpose and the mandate of the forum, which will result in production of ToRs for the forum with clearly defined roles and responsibilities; Establish transparent and accountable governance system; and Development of by-laws for the forum

Simultaneously, and  in order to sustain the Steering Committee network, Oxfam believes that there is a need for a visioning exercise, similar to the one launched with the partner in Lebanon; among the Steering Committees formed in Jordan, Iraq and Palestine.

 

It is therefore, and based on the above, that Oxfam decided to recruit a consultant to support the men’s forum and the steering committees in Jordan, oPt and North Iraq to reflect on their major future role thru a visioning exercise.

 

 

2. Objective of the consultancy:

 

The overall objective of the consultancy is to explore the functions of the steering committees and the men’s forum in the three countries being established by partners and lead a process of a visioning exercise that would inform the mission and the entity of the men’s forum and steering committee in each country. This exercise will aim at sustaining the Steering Committees and the men’s forum Structures beyond the programme cycle.

 

 

3. Tasks to be performed:

 

● Review existing role of the men’s forum and the steering committee in Lebanon and its scope of work.

● Prepare the materials for the visioning exercise for the members of the men’s forum and the steering committee in Jordan, oPt and North Iraq including a clear understanding on the approach of working with men and boys.

● Conduct a two to three days visioning exercise in each of the targeted countries (Jordan, oPt and Iraq) including the development of the mandate of the men’s forum, their role, Action plan, criteria for joining the men’s forum, KPI,…

● Conduct a one day visioning exercise with the steering committee members in each of the targeted countries (Jordan, oPt and Iraq) including the development of the mandate of the steering committee, their role, …

● Provide an output report to Oxfam GB including a clear mandate of the men’s forum and the steering committees and clear recommendations.

 

4. Timeline:

 

 

The following table indicates approximate timings for the assessment to be completed.

 

Action	By   When	Who
Review   of men’s forum activities and scope of work in Lebanon	15 October 2012	Consultant
Preparation   for the visioning exercise	17 October 2012	Consultant
Review   the materials with Consultant	16 October 2012	Consultant,   Oxfam GB
Visioning   exercise with the men’s forum in Jordan	21-22-23 October 2012	Consultant
Visioning   exercise with the men’s forum in North Iraq	25-26-27 October 2012	Consultant
Visioning   exercise with the men’s forum in oPt	29-30-31 October 2012	Consultant
Report   submission to Oxfam GB with recommendations	10 November 2012	Consultant

 

 

5. Qualifications and required skills:

 

Oxfam is looking for consultants with strong presentation, analytical and facilitation skills to conduct the visioning exercise with the members of the men’s forum and the steering committee in each of the targeted countries (oPt, Jordan and North Iraq).  The consultants should have the following skills and competencies:

 

● Demonstrable experience of facilitation skills.

● Experience in conducting visioning exercise.

● Strong background and expertise in Gender and Violence against Women issues.

● Strong Analytical and writing skills.

● Computer literate.

● Committed to deadlines.

● Ability to write concise, readable and analytical reports.

● Experience working in the Middle East and knowledge of each targeted country context.

● Excellent writing and verbal communication skills in Arabic.

 

6. Remuneration:

 

The remuneration is commensurate with skills and competences of the selected applicant/s. Oxfam will pay a total fee of 9,500 USD  -11,000 USD for the overall assessment including all expenses (Travel, accommodation, transportation, consultancy fee, …) based on satisfactory completion of the job.

 

7. Applications

 

Applicants with the experience and skills described above are invited to submit the below:

1. CV including contactable three references.

2. A cover letter of no more than 2 pages introducing the consultant experience and how the skills and competencies described above are met, with concrete examples. Please also use this cover letter to indicate consultants’ availability at critical periods.

3. An outline of no more than 2 pages of the proposed process and key considerations.

4. A 1-page budget covering all major anticipated costs (Oxfam prefers to pay an agreed price for the totality of the work including the field trips to North Iraq)

5. One example of a previous similar task.

 

Applicants not conforming to this model may be rejected. Applicants should be emailed to rabisaad@oxfam.org.uk by October 10,2012.

 

8. Technical evaluation

 

The quality of each technical offer will be evaluated in accordance with the award criteria and the associated weighting as detailed in the evaluation grid below.

No	Criteria	Max Score
1	Methodology – Marks will be awarded for clarity, credibility, innovation and “achievability”	40
2	Quality of personnel/consultant – Assessed against the skills, competencies and experience specified	30
4	Commitment to availability in the critical periods.	10
5	Commercial – Fees commensurate with skills/experience – Quoted expenses reasonable/realistic to deliver outputs – Terms and conditions	20
Total		100

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AMIDEAST to train Arab women entrepreneurs

BEIRUT: Aspiring Arab women entrepreneurs have the opportunity to get support  in starting their own business or in their existing venture by applying to the  Arab Women’s Entrepreneurship Program.

women entrepreneurs INITIATIVE lebanon

The American NGO AMIDEAST and its corporate partner Citigroup (through its  philanthropic arm, Citi Foundation) are soliciting applications for AWEP from  aspiring business women in Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Egypt, including  residents of those countries from other nationalities such as Palestinians.

“This is for Arab women of all nationalities who want to start a business or  who already have a small business. It’s meant for those who wouldn’t normally  have access to training,” says Allyson Jerab, adviser at Cisco Entrepreneur  Institute at AMIDEAST.

The initiative, now in its second year, aims to give 80 women (20 from each  of the four countries), who wouldn’t otherwise have the skills, support and  tools they need to build financially sustainable businesses.

The program, done in Arabic, will begin with an intensive 15-day training  session that focuses on basic business skills, such as customer service, how to  apply for a loan and handle accounting.

In the following six months the women will apply what they learned with the  help of local seasoned professionals, through Citi’s global Women’s Diversity  Network, who will serve as guest speakers as well as one-on-one mentors.

Last year’s guest speakers included Christine Sfeir, CEO of Dunkin’ Donuts  Lebanon, Lara Tarakjian, executive director of Silkor, Rana el-Chemaitelly,  founder of the Little Engineer, Nada Ghobril, managing partner at Memento  Photoboutique and Esraa Haidar, owner of Consult-E Marketing Services.

The successful candidates will also be given their own laptops and they will  be added to a closed Facebook group in order to network with last year’s  participants.

Providing business training opportunities to Arab women could help stimulate  development in the region, where, according to the U.N., women’s incomes are  less than a quarter of the average levels.

In addition to helping with regional development, Jerab says she has noticed  that female entrepreneurs often lack the confidence that their male counterparts  have because of their obligation to take care of their families.

“In my personal experience, female entrepreneurs have more fear of failure  than men – especially if they’re widowed or divorced, because of the financial  responsibility,” she says.

“They also don’t always realize how much time is involved in running a  business.”

Because some of the participants’ busy schedules, AMIDEAST will be selecting  alternate candidates this year in case some drop out, as was the case last  year.

Although women’s salaries lag far behind those of their male counterparts  throughout the world, including the Arab region, 30 percent of Lebanon’s small- and medium-sized enterprises are owned by women.

Read more:  http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/Lebanon/2012/Oct-04/190078-amideast-to-train-arab-women-entrepreneurs.ashx#ixzz28Ka9vRgo (The Daily Star :: Lebanon News ::  http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

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