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Economic Empowerment and Political Participation of Women in Lebanon : An Opportunity for Reform, Growth & Sustainability
March 8, 2021 at 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
| Cost: | Free |
Sustainable reform, growth and economic development in Lebanon will only be possible if it is achieved through an inclusive, locally owned, participatory, and gender equal approach that addresses the root causes of injustice, oppression, discrimination and inequality.
With support from countries like Canada and multilateral organizations, especially following the Beirut explosion, Lebanon has received significant financial assistance, but considerable gaps remain to achieve gender equality and poverty reduction with poverty levels expected to reach over 70% by the end of 2021. Civil society activists have increasingly brought up the issue of empowering women politically and economically as a key driver for reform and growth in Lebanon, but to little effect so far. Lebanon is ranked 149 out of 152 countries in the World Economic Forum’s 2020 Global Gender Gap report on female political empowerment. Women represent only 4.6% of the 128 elected officials in Parliament (6 seats).
On International Women’s Day, the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) Alumni Association (Carleton University) is hosting an interactive, intergenerational webinar between Lebanese feminist academics and activists on the urgent actions necessary for an inclusive, gender-transformative, and sustainable approach in Lebanon.
Moderated by Rita Houkayem (NPSIA ‘17, Global Shaper) and Mada El Dibs (SPPA ‘20), the webinar will feature powerful testimonials and presentations by three trailblazing Lebanese leaders:
Dr. Carmen Geha – Associate Professor at the American University of Beirut (AUB) in Public Administration, Leadership, and Organizational Development.
Carmen is also a co-founder of Research Associate at the Center for Inclusive Business and Leadership for Women (CIBL), a regional reference for readying gender-inclusive employers across the Arab MENA region. Following the Beirut port explosion, Carmen co-founded Khaddit Beirut (the shake-up), a network of 150+ experts and activists engaged in a community-driven sustainable and inclusive roadmap for recovery.
Joumana Haddad – Journalist, Author and Activist, Freedoms Center.
Joumana worked for Lebanon’s An Nahar newspaper from 1997 to 2017, being the cultural editor from 2005 on and launched her own TV show in October 2018 on Al Hurra Channel, highlighting the human rights abuses and censorship in Arab countries. She also ran for the Lebanese parliamentary elections in May 2018. In 2019, she founded a youth-centered NGO, called the Freedoms Center, that raises awareness among Lebanese youth on the values of human rights, democracy and secularism. Joumana has published 15 books and is regularly selected as one of the world’s 100 most powerful Arab women for her cultural and social activism.
Maya Chams Ibrahimchah – Founder and President of Beirut-based NGO Beit el Baraka.
Maya is an activist defending humanitarian and environmental causes. In 2019, she started her own charity organization, Beit El Baraka, offering support programs for retirees and vulnerable people living in dire conditions, and education programs for children. Today, her charity’s database comprises 226,000 beneficiaries. Following the August 4 Beirut explosion, Maya set out to repair 3011 apartments, 320 small businesses, 38 traditional listed houses and 3 schools. In parallel, she launched a program for the rehabilitation of public spaces and community gardens, as part of a campaign to “reclaim Lebanon and the Lebanese multicultural identity”.