ACGEN: Active Citizenship and Gendered Social Entitlements Event Spotlights
Tue, 15 Sep, 2015
The ways in which Lebanon is politically run on the basis of confessional divisions, in the absence of strategic visions, and with the inability of politicians to identify weaknesses in the political system, were all conducive to the interference of external parties, both foreign countries and international institutions, in setting the country’s priorities. This conclusion which in the past was confined to radical opposition milieus is now also recognised by international financial institutions.
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Tue, 11 Aug, 2015
Under the guise of reform and the salvation of the Lebanese economy, the process of privatization slowly gains ground in Lebanon unrepentantly, and with the blessing of the World Bank and the IMF. This is taking place in the context of failures of past policies, governmental practices, and the confessional system in resolving the different political, economic and social problems ailing the country.
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Tue, 21 Jul, 2015
With the launch of the Special Economic Zone in Tripoli, there has been much talk lately on the merits of this venture and its anticipated impact on the neglected and impoverished capital of North Lebanon. High expectations have attracted the attention of various politicians who started calling for the setting up of similar economic zones in other parts of the country. In view of the seriousness of the SEZ issue and its lasting repercussions, we are opting to shed some light on this largely unpublicized...
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Mon, 15 Jun, 2015
After long years of neglect of this vital public service, the government is moving ahead with the privatization of power generation, as per the World Bank’s instructions, while arguing and justifying that it is incapable of containing the fiscal drain of the electricity public company. The first phase saw the setting up of the first power station by the Electricity Company of Zahle, in the Beqaa, a step which is expected to be followed by others, most imminently, in Jbeil.
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Mon, 18 May, 2015
Political circles in the northern capital of Lebanon were in the past few months very busy quarreling over a project aimed at turning the traditional Jamal Abdel Nasser square located in Al Tal area, in the center of Tripoli, into a parking lot. Similarly to other economic initiatives, and despite its questionable economic feasibility, the project fueled heated political exchanges and reflected deep conflict of interests.
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Thu, 9 Apr, 2015
The occasions of Mother’s and International Women’s Day created an opportunity for Lebanese women to challenge discrimination against them, particularly when their basic rights in citizenship and equality are still denied. On Sunday March 22nd, which coincided with Mother’s Day, ‘My nationality is a right for me and my family campaign’ organized a sit in at Riad El Solh Square in Downtown Beirut, to reiterate their demands and raise their voice in denunciation of the persisting position of politicians in...
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Fri, 6 Mar, 2015
Since its inception in 2005, the Hariri Public Hospital in Beirut was designed to become a model of the hospitalization sector in Lebanon and the Middle East in view of its size and the diversity of its services. Yet, this model that is now in crisis is raising serious questions on the ways in which successive governments have approached health and hospitalization issues.
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Wed, 11 Feb, 2015
Four years after the outbreak of the war in Syria, and the resulting inflow of Syrian refugees who recorded a total of 1,154,593 persons in January 22, 2015, according to UNHCR figures, the Lebanese government finally decided to take action to curb the flow. The decision of the government included a set of policies to become effective on December 31, 2014, in order to regulate their entry and presence in the country. These new measures raised wide concerns and objections from several political sectors.
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Tue, 30 Dec, 2014
In Lebanon, garbage collection is at the center of political bickering and confessional polarisation in the context of policies that are largely short-sighted. With the deadline for the closure of the Naameh – Ain Darfil rubbish dump nearing, as well as the coming to end of the Averda Group (Sukleen and Sukomi) contract, which regulates the treatment of household solid waste, Lebanon seems now at the verge of an environmental crisis.
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Sun, 30 Nov, 2014
The present campaign launched by the Minister of Health, Wa2el Abou Faoor, to combat food corruption in bakeries, butcheries and food stores uncovered, yet again, the level of disorientation and weakness of public institutions and their limited capacity to address such a vital issue for citizens.
Abou Faoor’s revelations of the names of institutions in violation of the law stirred vibrant and divergent reactions, both on official and economic levels, while receiving warm welcome and support from the...
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