Development in LebanonProceedings of the Seminar on the Eradication of Poverty in Lebanon

Contextual ApproachBeirut June 23-24, 2005

Executive Summary

Table of Contents

Opening Session- Nihmat Kanaan- Michel Duval - Mona Hammam- Francine Néméh-Joseph Farah-Ziad Abdel Samad

First Session- Ghada Khoury- Mazhar Harake- Marie Rose Zalzal

Second Session- Khaled Zyade- Wafa Sharafeddine- Omar Saker

Round Table- Kamal Hamdan-Haitham Omar- Sabah Bedredinne-Adib Bou Habib- Kelly Boucher

Third Session- Nishant Pandey- Hasan Abdel Ati

Outcomes

I. Opening Session

a- Minister of Social Affairs represented by Nihmat Kanaan

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The Director General of the MoSA focused on the objectives of poverty alleviation and decreasing the social divide in Lebanon, as well as the role of the Ministry in the human and social development process.

Even development in Lebanon needs a national strategy on the one hand, and a partnership between the public and NGO sectors on the other.

The cooperation between the MoSA and various UN agencies on many programs was underlined and linked to the objective of achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

b- Ambassador of Canada, Michel Duval The Ambassador highlighted the impossibility of eradicating poverty, but also stressed the fact that efforts in this area, based on previous experiences, and in partnership with NGOs, will help to reach acceptable results.

He went on to add that the progress witnessed at the political level will impact positively on social issues and on capacities to face challenges, particularly that of poverty alleviation.

He concluded by reaffirming the necessity of cooperation between public institutions and NGOs in the fight against poverty in Lebanon.

c- UNDP Resident Representative, Mona Hammam

The UNDP Resident Representative hopes to achieve important results in the fight against poverty through UN programs and the implementation of the MDGs.

She then went on to emphasize the need for a national plan for the eradication of poverty and unemployment, in concordance with the eight MDGs.

Cooperation with the government is essential in order to determine the extent of the problem and to initiate the necessary studies and gather statistics, which will help decision-makers formulate targeted strategies.

She added that cooperation does not end here, but also encompasses the need to determine the necessary costs of poverty eradication and the resources required from the international community.

d- Director of the Canadian Fund for Social Development in Lebanon, Francine Néméh

The Director of the Canadian Fund for Social Development highlighted the importance of the capacity building of NGOs, and the role the Fund plays in this regard.

She noted the Canadian government’s effort and project funding, as well as the efforts of all the project partners: UNDP, ANND, the Lebanese NGO Network, and the Lebanese Women’s Network.

The importance of cooperation between public institutions and NGOs for the formulation of an effective strategy of poverty eradication and women’s empowerment, and for the achievement of economic development and social justice, was underlined. This achievement would also require a long-term common vision.

This seminar was presented as the first activity in long-term project, which will be concluded by a national conference in the spring of 2007.

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e- The Organizers: General Coordinator of the Lebanese NGO Network, Joseph Farrah

The General Coordinator of the Lebanese NGO Network highlighted the efforts deployed by UN agencies, the CFSD and Lebanese NGOs in fighting poverty.

He then asked what had been achieved in Lebanon in terms of poverty eradication and what has yet to be achieved, namely, a reduction of social inequalities.

f- Executive Director of ANND, Ziad Abdel-Samad The Executive Director of ANND presented an introductory overview of the Global Call Against Poverty (GCAP), which focuses on development and poverty eradication, and which links issues of development and peace with that of poverty.

He then proceeded to discuss the 8th goal of the MDG campaign, before moving on to stress that objective of the GCAP campaign is to pressure world leaders to fulfill their previous commitments with regards to the adoption of serious strategies to fight poverty.

He then presented the White Band campaign and the events surrounding it, which will be organized around the world, in order to remind world leaders about the dangerous problems that developing countries are facing.

He concluded the overview by underlining the importance of the UN Secretary-General’s report, which identifies all the central issues.

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II. First Session

Establishing Common Grounds of Understanding about Poverty

a- The Concept of Poverty in the International and Arab Contexts: A Comparison between the Different Indicators UsedGhada Khoury (UNDP/SURF)

The concept of poverty has a wide spectrum of meanings in contemporary economic, social and development literature, which often differ from its traditional one. Poverty is multi-dimensional, including lack of income but not limited to this basic element. In the UNDP’s perspective, poverty eradication is linked to the millennium development goals (MDGs) in the achievement of sustainable development in any country. In addition, poverty eradication (50% reduction of poverty by the year 2015) and hunger eradication (50% reduction of hunger by the year 2015) are the main steps in achieving the MDGs.

There are four main indicators that can be used in measuring poverty. First, the human poverty indicator used by UNDP; second, the percentage of people living on a daily income of less than a 1$ US, used by the World Bank; third, the percentage of people living on a daily income of less that 2$ US, also used by the World Bank; and lastly, the national poverty lines established and used by national governments in partnership with UNDP. In terms of the measurement of hunger, two main indicators are used, both developed by UNICEF: weight levels for children and calorie intake for individuals.

Despite statistical difficulties and conflicting results, general orientations and important information can still be noted. Concerning hunger eradication there are, , as previously mentioned , two indicators: the first is a calorie intake which is less than the necessary level for one person, and the second is the percentage of children below the age of five who are underweight. The statistical data gathered using the first indicator between 1990 and 2001, were issued by the FAO, and covered 14 countries and 82% of the total population of the region.

Unlike the statistical data on poverty, the Gulf countries have statistics concerning calorie intake. Based on these statistics, it is possible to conclude that there is some poverty in the Gulf countries.

In terms of children weight statistics issued by UNICEF, these are available for most Arab countries (except Iraq) for the years1995-1998.

In summary, the outcomes concerning the situation in the Arab region are the following: 1) according to all statistical sources and indicators, poverty and hunger are effectively present in the Middle East and North Africa; 2) poverty levels are high across the region, with the exception of the Gulf; 3) national statistics are an excellent basis for policy formulation; and 4) there is a need to improve political decision-making tools, namely statistics and information.

The conclusions that can be drawn concerning statistical data are the following; 1) there are a variety of statistical sources which are sometimes conflicting; 2) national statistics need to have a unified approach; 3) a common questionnaire is needed for collecting statistics in all the countries of the region; 4) there is a need to unify statistical curricula; and 5) the evaluation of the social and economic implications requires unified standards.

b- Broad Lines for a Plan of Intervention for Poverty EradicationMazhar Al-Haraket (MOSA/UNDP)

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This is a draft of broad lines for a plan of intervention for poverty eradication, not a plan which has actually been adopted by either the Ministry of Social Affairs or the UNDP. These broad lines are based on official data that have been issued from 1994 to 2001. More recent statistics are currently being compiled by the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Central Bureau of Statistics and the UNDP, which will be a watershed, and the first scientific measurement of the poverty line in Lebanon. This draft is then proposed for discussion.

There are eight millennium development goals, of which the first five are significantly inter-linked, and all serve poverty eradication. When writing the Lebanese MDGs national report there was a difficulty in integrating the required indicators because of the nature of the available statistical data.

The report on the Social Mapping of Living Conditions issued by the Ministry of Social Affairs and the UNDP aimed at answering the following questions: 1) which residents are classified as extremely poor?; 2) where are they located, what are their specificities and what are the main indicators of their poverty and its after-effects/impacts?; 3) what are the causes of this poverty and its perpetuation?; and 4) what are the steps, policies and resources needed to reach the set goal?

If measured by income indicators, 6.3 % of the population would be considered very poor; on the other hand, if measured by living conditions indicators, 6.8 % of the population would be considered very poor – or approximately 212, 000 individuals (47, 000 families).

The specificities of the poor in Lebanon are as follows: 1) they are mainly composed of nuclear families (63%), of which a large percentage comprises non-nuclear families (26.5%); 2) the average size of these families is 4.4 individuals - less than the national average (4.7%), and 42% of these families are composed of two persons or less; 3) 63% own their homes, which are often small in size and contain few rooms; 4) 60% benefit from the public water infrastructure - less than the national average (79.3%); and 5) 91% do not own a car (this indicator was chosen to compensate for the lack of statistical data on income).

The specificities of the heads of the households are as follows: 1) 42.5% are elderly - 65 years or more; 2) a large proportion of them are women (31.6%); 3) 72% are illiterate; and 4) 45% are economically active, 24% work in seasonal or casual labor, and only 27% have steady employment.

There are three means of intervention when dealing with these 212, 000 poor in Lebanon: the first is through the elaboration of specialized programs for the geographical areas characterized by a high density of poor; the second is through the elaboration of specialized programs aimed at those population groups among the poor that are the most affected; and the third is the implementation of specialized interventions to achieve specific goals originating from the MDGs and the national specificities of the poor.

The geographical distribution of extreme poverty indicates that the highest concentration is in the North (41.5%), followed by Mount Lebanon (20%) – which can be explained by the presence of both the southern and northern suburbs of Beirut within this governorate, then the Beqaa (17%), Nabatieh (9.3%), the South (7.7%) and finally Beirut (4.4 %). The proposals for intervention are first formulated through the following mechanism: a composed indicator is created based on the percentage of very poor inhabitants in the qada’ and the national percentage of very poor inhabitants in each qada’; then specific areas where poor populations are concentrated in each qada’ are targeted through various means; following this, the population sectors in each of these areas are specified; and finally specific programs of intervention are elaborated.

c- Poverty from a Gender PerspectiveMarie-Rose Zalzal (Bahethat)

Poverty does not know gender; it knows poor people, who are for the most part women. This requires a specific approach in order to stop the discrimination they suffer.

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People, men and women, have the right to cease being poor and to cease being discriminated against. The Human Rights Charters are not just proclamations of intentions, but are a legal structure for implementation. These charters identify rights as being legitimate needs, which increase and expand and form a unity to guarantee human security. Thus the poor are those who cannot acquire their various needs.

1. The liberation from poverty is an essential human right. Is it considered as a duty to be fulfilled? Who should fulfill it?

2. The right of women not to be discriminated against is also an essential human right. How can women demand non-discrimination? And from whom?

In other words, how can men and women demand their rights?

This question underlines the problem of economic and social rights: the absence of mechanisms for the deployment of these rights, whatever the reasons (political, economic world system, etc.)

The state becomes responsible for the problem if it does not fulfill its duties towards its citizens. Civil society organizations have begun to highlight the responsibility of states each time they do not secure the needs of their citizens. It is the duty and the right of citizens to be in solidarity with those who are in greater need; they should thus monitor state policies and advocate for changes when necessary.

Discrimination against women in Lebanon is the rule not the exception, and it is caused simultaneously by the legal, social and political systems. Discrimination targets women’s rights and freedom, disempowering them even further when it comes to their ability to fulfill their basic needs – a process that effectively leaves them dependant on the aid of others. Poverty eradication demands the removal of its structural causes. This could be achieved in three ways: 1) by enabling women to enter the productive labor market, thus freeing them from income needs; 2) by creating a supportive family environment through changes in the family code and criminal law, in order to free women from fear; and finally 3) by supporting women in order to enable them to reach decision making positions – so that they can fulfill all their rights as citizens.

Traditional role: unpaid labor for aid: Traditions do not encourage women to enter the labor market and consider that their rightful role is having and taking care of children, as well as taking care of the house and doing some related activities. In other words, all kinds of unpaid work, which marginalize them by keeping them in their “traditional” social role, and thus deprive them of their rights and maintain their dependence on the aid of others (men).

The Lebanese family code does not give women the right to independently choose to enter the workforce. Nevertheless, under the pressure of economic need, a greater number of women are entering the workforce. However, these women face discrimination in terms of salaries and promotion opportunities. In addition, the public sector - reinforced by the stagnation of the sectarian political system - remains a bastion of masculinity.

Discrimination in the family: All family code laws are based on discrimination, which maintains women in a position of dependence vis-à-vis men. The linkage of family laws to religion results in these laws being perceived as permanent.

The authority of the family code extends beyond the family, to impact on women’s movement in the public space.

Violence as a form of discrimination: Violence against women is considered to be a form of discrimination. Violence against women persists in Lebanon, among all social groups; it is seen as a legitimate action, especially inside the family.

Positive action: The countries that have witnessed a greater active role on the part of women are those that have helped women reach decision-making positions through the implementation of quotas at all levels.

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Positive action that aims at removing obstacles from women’s path and which permits a redistribution and equilibrium in the balance of power does not constitute a form of discrimination against women

Women and human rights groups that have long struggled and advocated for alternatives have managed to make fundamental changes in the laws of the land.

III. Second Session

The Role of NGOs in Tackling Poverty & Mechanisms for Cooperation with Governmental, International & Private Sector Stakeholders

a- Overview of the Role of NGOs in Poverty EradicationKhaled Ziydeh (Lebanese NGO Network)

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The paper that is being presented is a product of collective efforts, and also benefited from a small number of questionnaires distributed to different NGOs. If it is possible to note the diversity of NGOs and their programs and interventions regarding poverty eradication, as well as the vitality of the sector, it is nevertheless important to ask what gains are achieved in this process. To being with, the impact of NGO interventions should be determined. It is nonetheless possible even without formal measurements - thanks to NGOs among others – to note that large sectors of Lebanese society have gained a greater awareness about the problems of poverty, development, the environment, etc., and awareness is important even for the target group, the poor. If the indicator used in assessing the role of NGOs in poverty eradication was the extent to which they had managed to alleviate poverty, then it would quickly become evident that this was not achieve, as all indicators point to an increase in poverty. In short, NGOs increasingly helped a number of poor, but not enough to change the general statistical direction.

The first phase of the modern history of NGOs, which lasted 15 years, spanned from 1960 - the Shehabi experience – to the beginning of the war in 1975. The importance the sector acquired was due partially to the impetus caused by the reformist agenda of the state at that time, for it is not necessary for NGOs and the government to be at odds all the time. This period witnessed the shift from religious-charitable associations to those with a development-based vision.

The second phase was that of the civil war (1975-1990), which forced yet another transformation, away from development to emergency relief, due to the suffering caused by the war, as well as service provision in order to compensate for the almost total absence of public services.

The third phase is the current one, which is a period of rebuilding and the return to development, coupled with more respect for international summits and events that are occurring, since poverty eradication and development need internationally recognized standards, and because most NGOs receive international funding.

This historical background serves as a backdrop to present the challenges that NGOs are facing today. First, the emergence of some big institutions, who – unlike most NGOs who have the capacities to implement smaller scale projects that help some individuals - these “institutions”, whether NGOs or political parties, have huge financial capacities, which translate into charitable work, and the development of political projects that lead to the marginalization of other NGO work. Second, the danger of a shift from development to charitable work that can help a number of individuals is ever present. Great deals of resources are being spent on awareness-raising to the detriment of on-ground work; in other words, the translation of the issues raised into a project to be implemented.

If NGOs cannot be blamed for the emergence of poverty, it is nevertheless possible to note that the level of common action and networking in Lebanon is weak. Even if cooperation may be technically difficult at times, at the very least the areas most in need of intervention should be determined. Despite the large number of workshops and seminars conducted, an absence of detailed studies on poverty in the different geographical areas of Lebanon persists.

The proposals are: 1) elaborating a clear strategy; 2) specifying the priorities, whether geographical or needs-based; 3) elaborating common projects among NGOs to be presented to the public and private sectors, in order to build the largest possible umbrella; 4) a better and more effective use of media, especially for the defense of all kinds of rights; and finally 5) facing the challenges posed by the phenomenon called globalization.

b- The Resources Available for Poverty Eradication Programs and Cooperation with NGOsWafa Charafedinne – (CDR)

This presentation limits itself to the financial policies that were and are followed at the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR), especially those concerning poverty eradication. CDR is a public institution linked to the office of the Prime Minister and that works on three levels: first, proposing programs

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and projects to the council of ministers; second, finding foreign funds for programs and projects (thus the CDR has the responsibility of implementing a large number of projects funded by foreign donors); and thirdly, the execution of a large spectrum of projects ranging from infrastructure building to projects in partnership with Lebanese NGOs.

The financial policies of the CDR can be divided into two periods. The first period started in 1992, when the core responsibility was reconstruction, which was based on three components: big projects funding essential infrastructure with the direct impact desired being on the revitalization of economic life (airport, electricity, roads), costing approximately 55% of the budget; securing essential services (sanitation, drinking water, hospitals, health centers, schools, waste management), costing approximately 35% of the budget; and various small local development projects mainly in peripheral rural areas, costing 10% of the budget. The last component was supported by international donors, because at the end of the war there were no statistical data available to evaluate the population’s specific needs, and also because these projects could be justified as contributing to the revival of the economy. In this period, the CDR worked with UNDP on grassroots projects.

The second period started in 1998, at which time some official statistics were being published and international donors were questioning the government on the post-reconstruction governmental plan, in light of the severe economic crisis facing the country. Because of the absence of a common governmental plan or vision, the CDR started to work with donors on the priority issue for the future: poverty eradication.

For example, since 1999 and in partnership with the EU, an Economic and Social Development Fund was proposed. However, the Lebanese government has yet to formulate a clear vision about which policies are to be formulated concerning poor areas, in order to set up this independent Fund that would allocate the funds received for poverty eradication and development (small loans for individuals and municipalities). The compromise reached, since the amount of aid was available (25 million Euros), was that for a transitional period of a year and a half (which was prolonged) this fund would be part of the CDR. At this time, the CDR is focusing on following the offer of donors rather than formulating its plans, and poverty eradication is a priority of these funding agencies.

Another example of foreign funded poverty eradication programs is the World Bank’s four year project focusing on three issues: economic support for structural adjustment, poverty eradication and the protection of the environment and national resources. One of the projects within the poverty eradication component, which is currently underway at the CDR, was aimed solely at NGOs - it is s local development project with a 20 million dollar (US) budget, and is being re-structured after the initial evaluation.

c- NGOs and the Private Sector: Possible Scenarios for CooperationOmar Saker (Global Compact)

The first question faced is how can one run a company and be environmentally aware? For the Shtroumpf chain restaurants and their “Go Green” environmental project, this awareness was a very natural phenomenon, that started 20 years ago with the founding of the company. The owners and managers, who were all within the same age group, came from a similar cultural background: that of the nature-loving scouts’ associations. It was not a planned project, but instead the founding of the company was linked to nature and the environment: initially, the restaurant was a caravan that parked at the beach in the summer and at skiing slopes in the winter.

This was the first characteristic that set Shtroumpf apart from other restaurants. The second step in its environmental evolution came when it decided to offer trees for planting with each home delivery of food. In 1999, the company felt that the environment was being threatened, and that as a successful private sector company, it could deploy its reputation and resources in environmental protection for this issue, while

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remaining profitable - especially since the individuals in the company did not have time to be active in NGOs.

The “Go Green” program started in 1999 and among its main activities is awareness-raising on such issues as ecotourism & environmental NGOs, through the restaurant’s locations. Much effort goes into formulating simple and clear messages in these campaigns to catch the attention of customers and to facilitate its memorization.

The campaign graphics are chosen through a contest for university students, where their teachers act as intermediaries (one of them wins 1000$-1500$, but all of them work on an annual environmental theme).

When the Ministry of Environment was approached to be a partner, they had doubts about the sustainability of the contest, rather than that of the “Go Green” project. Today, they have recognized that their initial expectations were faulty, and are now a partner in the project. Depending on the theme of the projects, other ministries became involved (Ministry of Tourism for ecotourism, Ministry of Agriculture for the campaign to fight desertification, etc.). “Go Green” has managed to also cooperate with other private sector companies: the multi-national TetraPack (which is responsible for 90% of the world market’s packaging of milk and juices cartons), as well the cellular phone company, Cellis.

Consumers respond well to environmentally-friendly and/or socially aware products and services. Today, Shtroumpf is the smallest company on the Global Compact committee in Lebanon. The Global Compact encourages private sector enterprises to go into partnership with the public sector and NGOs, for the protection of the environment, transparency and workers’ rights.

IV. Roundtable:

Responsibilities of & Coordination among Various Stakeholders

Mechanism of Cooperation between Different Sectors in a Poverty Eradication Strategy

a- Kamal Hamdan (CRI):After 15 years of work on the issue of poverty among other topics, it is difficult to detail systematically for international organizations and municipalities, what the responsibilities of the state and civil society are. That is why this presentation will address some ideas born out of professional experience, noting that the speaker was among the team of researchers that first used the concept of the poverty line in Lebanon in 1992. Since then, numerous studies, some macro others micro, have been produced by a number of international agencies and ministries (ILO, UNDP, WB and MoSA).

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The theoretical and conceptual framework still needs more effort on the part of Lebanese society. From this problematic framework an embarrassment emerges, which is symbolized by the question: Is the Lebanese phenomenon an issue of poverty or the collapse of the middle class? It is not easy to delimit this clearly in the Lebanese context, and it is to be noted that poverty here is considered to be an amount of calorie intake below which a person dies.

It is necessary to distinguish between extreme poverty and general poverty, and to insure that the level of extreme poverty does not become an excuse for the divestment of the state, which is the sector with the most resources and capacities at its disposal. In Lebanon, the state has not fulfilled its social role to prioritize and thus concentrate on extreme poverty eradication policies, instead of building a welfare state.

We should note that whichever approach is chosen, whether geographic or social profiles, the structure of micro-level interventions to eradicate poverty may alleviate the poverty crisis, but do not solve the issue. Civil society on its own, even with the support of donors, does not have the capacity to implement effective solutions. This, then, brings the discussion back to the issue of political reform of policy-making, as well as decision making, and of redefining what public service is and what the commitments of the state are.

b- Haitham Omar (CDR):The speaker works on an EU funded project called the Economic and Social Development Fund, whose main aim is poverty eradication. He concurs with Mr. Hamadan that poverty eradication needs political reforms, administrative decentralization, equality between citizens and finally, a new social contract between the Lebanese themselves.

There is a draft national strategy for social development at the Fund, which has yet to be submitted to the Council of Ministers. This strategy highlights some issues that need to be discussed, such as the issue of coordination. There is today a kind of chaos in the interventions being implemented concerning poverty eradication (overlapping of interventions, some sectors or segments with no interventions at all, the competitiveness of the funding agencies themselves, etc.).

This strategy is based on the MDGs, but it is to be noted that Lebanese targets were formulated within these goals. In addition, the strategy was based on a comparative study with neighboring countries. The strategy also contains a poverty mapping that relies on two approaches, one qualitative and the other quantitative, which were followed by GIS layers in order to facilitate its use by the different public agencies and ministries. An analysis and evaluation of all current interventions were made. Finally, policy recommendations were outlined.

The first step in a collective effort is to determine the responsibility of each sector through new legislation and administrative reforms – a step which until now has been missing in Lebanon. Until such a time, a compromise could be a national NGO council (considering that the MoSA annually funds many NGOs that are mainly religious or political), in order to facilitate cooperation, as well as to follow-up on the resources available.

c- Sabah Bedredinne (MSL):NGOs are investing a great amount of effort, due to the lack of research and studies that could permit them to measure changes and therefore properly evaluate the work done. It should be recognized that, as an NGO sector, the one in Lebanon is much larger than the results being achieved.

Since the NGO sector never presented itself as an alternative to the state, but rather as a partner, it is important to present an overview of the level of cooperation that the NGOs were part of. In the past the years, there were many forms of cooperation with the public sector, but none ever reached the level of a real partnership. If the new understanding of the concept encompasses all facets of human security, then cooperation with all ministries is essential, not just cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs.

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The high level of responsible awareness present among the NGOs leads to the questioning of their role and their capacity in the field and at the advocacy level, to ensure that official policies have clear implementation mechanisms – while noting that NGOs were never genuinely included in policy formulation.

NGOs should not limit themselves to direct intervention on poverty issues, but should rather have a long-term perspective in the absence of the implementation of national policies.

In order to have cooperation between the state and NGOs, the first step should be the recognition by the state of the size and impact of the NGOs sector.

The NGOs should be a partner in the formulation of policies, strategies, mechanisms of implementation and distribution of roles.

International funds and/or aid should be neither conditional nor based on the priorities of the donor; the target groups should determine their own priorities. Funding should not be short term.

The NGO sector has consistently pointed to the need for a three-way partnership between it, the public sector and the private sector - which has unfortunately put itself on the sidelines when it comes to poverty eradication.

The NGO sector is the one which is most aware of the international situation, including the phenomenon of globalization. It has knowledge, has not known how to properly use and/or disseminate it to the sectors most in need of this information.

The NGO and economic sectors are the most qualified - due to their cooperation - for the formulation of viable alternatives to the international policies presented, that would protect the social sectors that are most prone to damage.

Civil society can play a very central role in terms of transparency and accountability, starting with itself.

NGOs are the most qualified to disseminate the culture of human rights and citizenship. NGOs, through their new partnerships, should formulate a media plan.

d- Adib Bou Habib:Trade-unions should play a major role in poverty eradication because they are, theoretically, the most representative of the civil society organizations. Unfortunately, since 1992, and perhaps because of its relative independence under the Taif Accord system, attacks were concentrated on the trade-union movement through many means: divisions, takeovers and the creation of paper unions.

At that time, the trade-union movement was composed of 22 confederations, whereas today the number is 37, and will soon reach 47! However, the most harmful tactic used was the creation of confessional-based unions, which were not based on the needs of the workers, but on the needs of the political forces that were in power.

An illustration of this is the near total absence of trade-union participation in this seminar, even though the workers’ movement should participate in the formulation of a national strategy concerning poverty eradication. More than this, the highest concentration of poverty, according to the MoSA study, is based in rural areas, which mean that the peasant and agricultural workers unions should certainly be part of this strategy formulation.

What is needed is the mobilization of the target group: the unemployed poor. A suggestion can also be made for the creation of a follow-up committee as a result of this seminar, which could collect all relevant studies on poverty in Lebanon, to be used as tools by civil society, and translated into mobilizing slogans for future campaigns.

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It should be noted that even the World Bank’s latest reports acknowledge that some governments have exaggerated in their structural adjustment policies. The reality in Lebanon is that all the governments since the end of the civil war have applied socio-economic policies that had nothing to do with development generally, nor with equal development of the different administrative regions. One of the government proposed projects was the creation of industrial free-zones where workers would not have any social coverage. According to the World Bank, 12.4% of the GNP (as opposed to 10% in Switzerland) is being spent on the health sector, yet quantitatively and qualitatively the Lebanese people have very few health services. Last year, the Social Security provided 440 billion LL worth of health services, and according to its Board of Directors, the Ministry of Health and the various health funds of the Civil Service had the highest percentage of spending. So the cost of medical coverage at the Social Security is 900 000 LL per person, while the soldiers’ fund is 1.6 million LL. The solution, then, would be to unify all these health funds under one management, in order to better manage the spending, so that a minimum “universal” coverage for “all” citizens could be established.

e- Kelly Boucher (Global Compact):TetraPack’s involvement in development started seven years ago, but at first when the company was invited to participate in meetings such as this seminar, it was always perceived negatively, and was not really accepted by the NGO and donor community. Seven years ago, the speaker was the corporate social and environmental manager at TetraPack, and as a result of these activities she got involved in trying to help the Lebanese dairy industry, by supporting a school feeding program – which was especially important, since imported powder milk created a 60 million $ loss for the local milk industry, as well as the loss of 5 000 jobs. It was realized back then that the private sector, or at least TetraPack, had an important role to play in rural development.

Paralleling that realization, internal lobbying in the company began so as to have a separate office to work on sustainable development in rural areas. Not much was achieved during the first year, but for the last five years the Food for Development Office has been created, which employs three full-time employees.

It should be noted that Food for Development was born here in Lebanon, where the school feeding program was initiated and became a model world-wide. The strategy of the program, “From the Stable to the Table”, is TetraPack’s way of contributing to poverty eradication in rural areas. The company realized that cooperation is necessary to achieve the MDGs but that the private sector is necessary in the equation. Many funded programs were based on, for example, giving a cow to a poor farmer, but without securing a market for his products, so the initiatives failed. The key is job creation, because there is poverty when people are unemployed. Without the private sector, the essential engine is missing - commercial mechanisms (markets, jobs, and money/capital) are necessary to eradicate poverty.

TetraPack is presently feeding 50, 000 school children through the school feeding program, in addition to assisting NGOs with their proposal submission to USAID for a dairy development project, where it is hoped that there will be 200 satellite farms in Lebanon. TetraPack would not benefit from this American tender, as it is a Swedish company, but the company and Lebanon would lose in the long term if assistance were not provided for the agricultural part of this project.

TetraPack signed on to Global Compact two years ago, and as a result of this massive changes were made from the corporate head office in Lausanne all the way down to local offices, and many things still need to be implemented at the local level. It took the company three years to join Global Compact, because it was necessary to ensure that it would be able to fulfill the ten principles.

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V. Third Session

Local, Regional & International Experiences in Tackling Poverty

a. Enhancing ‘Power in Markets’ of Small Producers Engaged in Cotton – Textile Supply Chain in IndiaNishant Pandey (OXFAM-UK)

This project is located in India, where 25-30% of the population lives below the one dollar US poverty line. The implementation of the project is in south India, where last year nearly 4, 000 farmers committed suicide because of extreme poverty, and 70% of these suicides were located in cotton growing areas.

When the planning for this project started four years ago, three questions emerged: 1) Cotton and cotton cloth have been produced in India for the last 5000 years! If it was so unprofitable it would have died a long time ago. So why the sudden crisis? And is it really sudden? 2) Textile exports constitute 38% of India’s total exports, fetching Rs. 420, 000 million! So what is the poor producers’/workers’ share? 3) The problems of farmers and weavers are contradictory. How come?

The techno-historical analysis of this situation revealed that: 1) The processing technology is incompatible with both local seed varieties and scale of operations;;2) The link between cultivation, processing and trade has been lost. The modern-day crisis in the cotton sub-sector is systemic and not isolated. ‘Quality’ in cotton fiber has thereby become dictated by the limitations of the spinning machine. With the decline of household spinning in India, both the growers and

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weavers of cotton became the clients of the intermediary spinning mills. The import of machine-made yarn into India broke the connection between the cultivation of cotton, the spinning, and the weaving. Cotton, which had largely been grown for local use, began to be grown specifically for export, and numerous textile producing centers decayed;3) A possible way forward is an alternative production structure.

A macro-economic analysis was then undertaken, which showed that exports were down and imports were up - liberalization and the WTO agreement on agriculture have led to immeasurable hardship for the farmers. An entire gambit of changes, starting from removal of land ceiling regulations to greater participation of Multi National Corporations (MNCs) in the Indian seed sector, in addition to the dismantling of public distribution systems, withdrawal of input subsidies, removal of subsidies on irrigation, electricity, the deregulation of wheat, rice, sugarcane, cotton, and the withdrawal of quantitative restrictions (1492 items) have all been detrimental to the survival and sustainability of Indian agriculture and farmers.

The way forward that emerged from the analysis was: 1) to have a differentiated product/market; 2) the integration of the supply chain – value addition at local level; 3) policy advocacy at the national and international levels.

Following this, a socio-political analysis was undertaken that demonstrated that there was a further alienation of small and marginal farmers, and that the input supply – backed by a strong lobby – continued to implement agricultural policies for input intensive farming, which resulted in the alienation of women as well as the emergence of a class structure – particularly, master weaver.

So the translation of “possible ways forward” into a viable model meant that the following would be required: 1) Supply Chain Management on ‘Fair Trade’ standards: Farm to Firm to Fashion Store; 2) Organic Farming; 3) Economies of scale: collectivism; 4) Risk minimization – profit maximization; 5) Sustainability; Institution building and development; and 6) Women as farmers and weavers.

The program has two components: 1. Support Component

- Mobilization (basic self-help groups which federates into cooperatives, so rather than trade in raw cotton now they trade in yarn - 110% addition of value)- Empowerment/leadership development, especially of women- Capacity building- Policy advocacy and campaigning

2. Business Component- Supply Chain Management- Revival of the link between communities

When looking at the traditional model of the supply chain the following can be noted: farmers sell their cotton at the local market where it is first bought by buyers/processors, and then by traders, who sell it to master weavers. Master weavers then supply the actual manufacturers’ weavers, and it is through these last two that the finished product reaches the consumer.

In this project, the supply chain was changed to make it more linear, including three stages of intervention: 1) Choose the value (choosing the agricultural practices such as seeds, etc.); 2) Provide the value (through certification, processing, weaving) and 3) Communicating the value, by branding it and retailing it as a finished product. This means integrating and tightening the supply chain, removing inefficiencies in intermediation, creating forward and backward linkages and eliminating multiple handling and wastage.

A strategy to be adopted is the Organic and Fair Trade Production: a farmer’s INCOME = YIELD X PRICE - PRODUCTION COST. So if the farmer’s income is to be increased, it is necessary to either increase the yield or the price, or alternatively, to reduce the production costs. What happened in the Green revolution is that everything increased, but the yield and price increased more than the production costs, so the farmers

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benefited from this. However, after 30-40 years the yield and the prices stagnated, but the production costs kept on increasing, due to the use of chemical pesticides. So in this context, organic farming stabilizes the yield, while increasing the price and reducing the use of chemical pesticides.

Globally, poverty is mainly a rural phenomenon, even in the Arab World, where 40% of the rural population is poor and where 70% of the poor live in rural areas.

b. Attempts to Alleviate Poverty: A Case Study from Sudan Hassan A. Abdel Ati (Sudanese Civil Forum)

The Project: ADRA Norway responded to the crisis that the Hawaweer nomadic tribe were facing in Um Jawasir, intervening with food relief distribution, and initiating the project with two principle objectives: to rehabilitate the environmental, and to secure food for the population.

Organization and Management: 1) The project is managed in collaboration with the community; 2) Allocation of farms and selection of farmers is done by the community; 3) All inputs, other than labor, are provided by the project; 4) Each completed phase is handed over to the farmers; 4) Each well has a committee for its day-to-day management; 5) Each phase has a farmers’ committee on which women are represented; 6) The women’s program has its own committee; 7) At the top level there is a UJ Development Committee composed of all the project committees, traditional leaders and some educated Hawaweer. This committee has a responsibility for planning, with sub-committees for agriculture, women, services, youth and the revolving fund.

Project Achievements & Impacta. Food and income security: 1) Base established (direct production/ income security - the

project attained its food security objective and a strong household food security); 2) Increased level of income (farmers US$ 800-2500); 3) Increase in the number and improvement of the quality and productivity of livestock; 4) Improvement in mother and child health; 5) Community organization to start claiming basic rights (heath & education).

b. Environment: 1) Micro-climate improved (lower temperature and wind velocity); 2) Reduced wind storms; 3) Reduced rates of sand creep; 4) Environmental awareness and conservation raised; 5) Reduced mobility in search for water and grazing; 6) 800 feddans of desert land brought into production and improvement of soil conditions; 7) Utilization of untapped underground water resource; 8) Revitalization of the biodiversity of the area (livestock, flora and wild fauna, such as birds and rabbits); 9) Crop residues provided a renewable alternative fuel, as well as construction material, reducing pressure on the natural vegetation, and on women who used to collect fuel wood.

c. Women: 1) Noticeable improvement in health and hygiene (personal & home); 2) Visibility in production and marketing (buyers & sellers); 3) Income generated contributed to the empowerment of women, by enabling them to participate in the decision-making process at home and at the community level; 4) Rise in women’s awareness demonstrated by their requests for previously taboo subjects: e.g. reproductive health programs, information about STDs and interest in leadership; 5) Women vendors exchanging goods for crops and gearing appeared for the first time, and there were more women at the market; 6) Literacy standards started to improve, particularly among young girls, and mothers started sending more children to schools; 7) Reduction in physical efforts expended to fetch water & fuel wood.

d. Livestock: 1) Increased numbers; 2) Increased productivity; 3) Availability of feed and water; 4) Less mobility; 5) Benefits to other nomads (water, fodder, improved breeds).

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e. Community: 1) Increased community awareness through training, organization and contact with the outside world; 2) As a result of community settlement, the first dispensary and school appeared in the area, and social interaction between different clans was enhanced; 3) Increase in community wealth; 4) Community regained its identity and recognition; 5) Women became visible in the production cycle and in community activities; 6) Social interaction across sub-tribal lines was enhanced; 7) Men became more supportive of the women’s program after initial resistance; 8) The project exposed the area and generated interest for it.

f. Conflict Reduction: 1) At the wider level, the threat emanating from feelings of loss of identity and of relative deprivation vis-à-vis other communities in the region was diffused; 2) Through the participatory and partnership approach adopted, locals gained confidence in their collective ability to resolve problems; 3) Resources available, in addition to the organization and training, contributed to minimizing the principle causes of conflict, and transformed local life from being competitive/conflictive to being interdependent; 4) The introduction of activities that inherently demand collective decisions/ work and cooperation - revolving fund as opposed to nomadic HH individuality; 5) Introduction of self-regulating mechanisms (committees/ court); 6) The new form of production with no inherited gender social division of roles, contributed to gender equality and asserted women’s rights; 7) By enhancing the home return of the Hawawir from the riverine area, an inevitable problem was averted, due to differences in cultural behavior and patterns of resource use.

g. The Economics: Overall cost per individual is less than US$200, and approximately US$ 2,500 per direct beneficiary household. Farm profits rose from 3% in the first year to 67% in 2004, as a result of improvement in soil fertility and the experience gained. Goat milk production rose from Lb 1.0 to Lb 3.5 as result of breed improvement. Farmers now fatten animals for sale.

Lessons Learnt: 1. The feasibility of desert irrigated agriculture; 2. Economic opportunities rather than services keep people on the land - an important lesson in light of the repeated failed attempts to settle nomads; 3. Absence of pre-set gender roles, as a result of the transformation, speeded up women’s engagement; 4. Collective projects are more likely to succeed in rural areas, so long as they do not lessen the individual household freedom of choice; 5. Most important: The project provided a model for development interventions in other areas, such as the western Sudan, for the prevention or reduction of resource-based conflicts .

VI. Outcomes:

National statistics need to have a unified approach; The need for a common statistical questionnaire to be used in the countries of the region; The evaluation of social and economic consequences of poverty needs unified standards; The indicators have to be composed indicators in order to fully grasp the situation of the poor; Interventions for poverty eradication have to be coupled with change in public policies, in order to

secure the macro-micro linkage; Poverty eradication strategies should not just “rectify” a situation of poverty, but should also

“rectify” the causal factors (poverty alleviation of individuals coupled with changes in patterns of social behavior, legislation and political policies);

The MDGs should be adapted to the situation in Lebanon; the indicators should be adapted to Lebanese realities;

The inclusion of the poor in the poverty eradication process is essential; The formulation of a National Plan for poverty eradication; The implementation of political and administrative reforms as a first condition for the formulation of

a National Plan for poverty eradication;

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Genuine cooperation, on equal footing, between all sectors (CSOs, public sector, private sector, etc.) in the policy-making process, and in the implementation process (thus no disinvestment of the public sector) for the National Plan for poverty eradication;

The implementation process of the National Plan for poverty eradication requires follow-up mechanisms, which would permit monitoring and accountability on the one hand, and efficiency and cooperation reinforcement on the other;

Genuine cooperation between all sectors requires initial networking and coordination within each sector, in order to ensure overall coordination.

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