THINK OF THE CHILDREN
TBY talks to Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO, on the body's long history in Lebanon, its work in response to events in the region, and initiatives to ensure education for refugee children.
BIOGRAPHY
Irina Bokova is the Director General of UNESCO. She previously served two terms as a member of the National Parliament of Bulgaria and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Foreign Affairs under PM Zhan Videnov. She also served as Bulgaria's ambassador to France and Monaco.What are the main activities that UNESCO will pursue in Lebanon?
UNESCO and Lebanon have a long and rich history of partnership, now in its 54th year. Over this time, our partnership has gone from strength to strength, drawing on shared values that have profound roots in the society and history of Lebanon. The wealth of cultural heritage in Lebanon is an open door to the cultural diversity of the Mediterranean, and a strategic asset for intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding. UNESCO is committed to making the most of it for future generations, building on the rich history of Lebanon and its connection with Mediterranean cities. I had the pleasure of nominating Maha El-Khalil Chalabi as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for her commitment to the protection of the city of Tyre, a gateway to the history of humanity. We also rely on the support of the UNESCO International Center for Human Sciences in Byblos to advance cooperation in social sciences and promote a culture of peace. Our Beirut office is the Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States, currently serving 19 Arab nations, and at the same time functioning as a multi-sectoral cluster office for Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and the Palestinian Territories.
How have the current events surrounding Lebanon impacted UNESCO's scope of action in the country?
We have renewed our deep commitment to Lebanon and the Arab region in challenging times. As a result of the Syrian crisis, UNESCO has been working with UN agencies and partners to support the Lebanese government in its successive Lebanon Crisis Response Plans, particularly through the Ministry of Education and Higher Education's (MEHE) Reaching All Children with Education (RACE) strategy, which aims to provide quality education opportunities to all children and youth in Lebanon who have been affected by the Syrian crisis, ensuring the mainstreaming of forcibly displaced people into the national education system. Lebanon is coping with more than a million Syrian refugees, with immense pressure on host communities and institutions, and I wish to commend the government for its unfailing commitment to bolstering the resilience of all women and men in the face of an unprecedented crisis. This is a lesson of courage and dignity for all. I see this same spirit in Lebanon's commitment to the new global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. UNESCO's role will continue to be clear—to support and accompany the government and society of Lebanon in all its efforts to realize its goals to strengthen the foundations for poverty eradication for inclusive sustainable development and lasting peace across the region.
How is UNESCO partnering with the Lebanese government to incorporate and integrate Syrian refugee children into Lebanese educational centers?
UNESCO works arm-in-arm with the government in this respect, contributing in particular with the MEHE through technical, financial, and operational support to the implementation of the national RACE strategy and its updated version that envisages a more strategic approach to the education sector response on the premise of a stabilization and development agenda that will guide the work of the ministry for the next five years. UNESCO worked with the ministry to design a national non-formal education policy framework to allow school-aged children who missed out on several years of education to catch up with their schooling and reintegrate into the formal system through certified programs in early childhood education, basic literacy and numeracy, and accelerated learning. We also closely work with the government to develop an accelerated learning program for youth, which will allow students who finished their Grade 9 and obtained their brevet or equivalent but who have been out of school for some time to transition into formal secondary education. The message of UNESCO's Constitution drafted 71 years ago has never been so relevant. The defenses of peace must be built in the minds of women and men, starting with young minds, beginning on the benches of school.
THINK OF THE CHILDREN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Focus: Lebanese-French Relations
Let’s be Franc
Lebanon shares a close relationship with its former colonizer, both in terms of economic relations and cultural identity among Lebanese. In spite of hardships like the presidential power vacuum and Syrian war next door, the bond is only getting stronger.
read articleFocus: Tripoli Economic Free Zone
The Tripoli Transformation
The Tripoli Special Economic Zone (TSEZ) is one of most ambitious projects in Lebanon at the moment. With an initial cost of USD27 million, it is meant to provide an alternative to the heavily centralized economic activity in Beirut, a new gateway for investments and trade to settle in northern Lebanon, and will transform the image of a long-neglected region.
read articleInterview
Dr. Freddie Baz, Vice Chairman & Group Strategy Director, Bank Audi
TBY talks to Dr. Freddie Baz, Vice Chairman & Group Strategy Director of Bank Audi, on the bank's increase in profits, dealing with currency devaluation, and working to turn the economy into an export-driven one.
read articleReview: Insurance
Life is a Rollercoaster
Unlike many emerging markets, Lebanon enjoys a relatively high insurance penetration rate and strong life segment, buoyed by compulsory lines and bancassurance. Competition remains fierce, however, and reform aimed at encouraging consolidation looks far off.
read articleInterview
Max R. Zaccar, Chairman of Commercial Insurance & President of the Association, Insurance Companies
TBY talks to Max R. Zaccar, Chairman of Commercial Insurance & President of the Association of Insurance Companies, on the resilience of the sector, increasing the already-high penetration rates in the country, and remaining one of the strongest insurance companies in the region.
read articleInterview
HE Arthur Nazarian, Minister, Energy and Water Resources
TBY talks to HE Arthur Nazarian, Minister of Energy and Water Resources, on the potential offshoots from oil and gas explorations, the country's National Energy Efficiency Action Plan, and attempts to increase renewable energy consumption.
read articleInterview
Wissam Zahabi, Chairman, Board of the Lebanese Petroleum Administration (LPA),
TBY talks to Wissam Zahabi, Chairman of the Board of the Lebanese Petroleum Administration (LPA), on making the investment climate attractive for foreign companies and becoming self-sufficient in energy.
read articleFocus: Sovereign Wealth Funds
Gas Pipe Dreams
Despite excitement over exploration of Lebanon's hydrocarbons, the creation of a sovereign wealth fund, which was included in legislation, has yet to take place. The country faces several obstacles in its path to creating and properly managing a fund.
read articleInterview
Pierre El Khoury, General Director, Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC)
TBY talks to Pierre El Khoury, General Director of the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC), on the development of energy efficiency in Lebanon, awareness of energy conservation, and the country's 2020 renewable energy goals.
read articleInterview
Dr. Fady Gemayel, President, Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI)
TBY talks to Dr. Fady Gemayel, President of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI), on the group's work to promote industrialists, new developments in terms of industrial cities, and the future of industry in the country.
read articleFocus: Industrial Cities
Industrial Solution
Domestic and regional events have stifled Lebanon in building a strong national industry to protect and sustain its economy. Four proposed industrial zones throughout the country may provide it with the economic backbone it so desperately needs.
read articleInterview
Marianne Hoayek, Director of the Executive Office, Banque du Liban
TBY talks to Marianne Hoayek, Director of the Executive Office of Banque du Liban, on the roots of the Circular 331 concept, bridging funding gaps throughout the startup lifecycle, and the country's growing knowledge economy.
read articleRoundtable
Thinking It Through
On June 12, TBY and the American-Lebanese Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) organized a roundtable titled “Startup ecosystem sustainability: fostering cooperation to drive entrepreneurship." The participants discussed the impact of Circular 331, an initiative by Bank du Liban, the Lebanese central bank, to inject a potential of USD400 million into the local enterprise market and guarantee 75% of banks' investments in startups and startup support.
read articleFocus: Infrastructure for the startup ecosystem
The New Star
Startups are ubiquitous in Lebanon despite the difficulty of starting a business and the lack of services available to new businesses. However, a number of actors, both public and private, are innovating the environment and allowing startups to fulfill a greater role in the country's economy.
read articleFocus: Maritime Exports Bridge
Bridging The Gap
The conflict in Syria has wrought serious damage on the Lebanese economy, effectively closing off the country's trade routes through Syria. However, a new program geared at balancing the price disparities between land and sea transit is poised to help Lebanese industries.
read articleFocus: Real Estate
A Stimulus For The Rest Of Us
The real estate market in Lebanon is nothing like it used to be. The sector has slowed considerably, and demand has shifted from the traditional center, Beirut. However, stimulus packages from the central bank over the years have proven beneficial for all parties involved.
read articleInterview
Armand Pahrés, President, Lebanese Pharmaceutical Importers Association (LPIA)
TBY talks to Armand Pahrés, President of the Lebanese Pharmaceutical Importers Association (LPIA), on the development of legislation in the sector, boosting further innovation, and opportunities for Lebanon to become more self-sufficient in pharmaceuticals.
read articleFocus: Incentives for pharmaceuticals in Lebanon
Pharma Land
Lebanon has always been the region's leader in all things health related. Its pharmaceutical industry is no exception, and the country's incentives for international pharma companies to operate, manufacture, and distribute in Lebanon are only getting stronger.
read articleInterview
HE Elias Bou Saab, Minister, Education and Higher Education
TBY talks to HE Elias Bou Saab, Minister of Education and Higher Education, on the ministry's initiatives to improve the education system, ensuring access to education for Syrian refugee children, and reversing the brain drain in the country.
read articleInterview
Mohamed Harajli, Provost, American University of Beirut (AUB)
TBY talks to Mohamed Harajli, Provost of the American University of Beirut (AUB), on his upcoming plans for the university, the key role played by the AUB alumni, and fostering an entrepreneurial spirit among students.
read articleFocus: Programs to school Syrian refugee children
High Marks
Proportional to its population, Lebanon has taken in significantly more Syrian refugees than any other country. With the country now facing the problem of placing the tens of thousands of Syrian children in school, international donors and local and foreign organizations are making educational support a priority.
read articleInterview
Joseph G. Jabbra, President, Lebanese American University (LAU)
TBY talks to Joseph G. Jabbra, President of the Lebanese American University (LAU), on embracing technology at the university, the challenges of Lebanon's brain drain, and the importance of having international links with other institutions.
read article