Lebanon

Youth groups of the kadaas of Marjeoun and Hasbaya have been coordinating several activities with the UNIFIL battalions present in their region during the month of April. Such activities proved to be necessary for better understanding of UNIFIL works in the south by youngsters. In this instance, joint activities were conducted with the Chinese and Indian Battalions and the youth groups of Ibl el Saki, Kfarchouba, Ein Jarfa, Chebaa and Debin. The youth groups gathered 204 children coming from the mentioned villages and took them to the Indian base. read more

Within the "socio economic empowerment of cluster bomb affected communities" project funded by the Japanese government , youth from Southern "UNDP youth groups" were gathered in a summer camp for five days. The main topic of the camp was gender. Eighty youngsters from the kadaas of Marjeyoun, Hasbaya, Bint Jbeil, Nabatyeh and Jezzine, coming from a spectrum of mixed gender, religion, education and political affiliations participated to the camp. The camp comprised discussions and analysis around the concept of gender complemented by practical exercises, role plays, and educational games to better grasp the topic. read more

The 2009 Lebanese elections will be different from the previous parliamentary elections. This year, several changes were made concerning the electoral procedures such as redrawing of the electoral district, holding the elections in all the districts at the same day and using the National ID cards instead of voter cards. These changes were the outcome of the new electoral law that was enacted on October 2008 in the framework of the reconciliation process following the Doha agreement. read more

The migration of highly skilled human resources is a growing problem in Lebanon. The Lebanese government and many policy-makers, concerned by this "brain drain" have been trying to attract the national expatriates back to their home country to participate in their nation building.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Lebanon worked on transforming this "brain drain" into a "brain gain" through the TOKTEN project (Transfer of Knowledge through Expatriate Nationals). This project provides the Lebanese expatriates who achieved professional success abroad, the chance to work as volunteers in their homeland on short-term consultancies. By volunteering their services, they get involved in the development projects taking place with several Lebanese ministries... read more

In the small village of Barqa (North Lebanon) that suffers from the migration of its residents to Beirut, 50 women from the village are the beating heart of the Public Embroidery Workshop.

This local sewing and lingerie workshop, funded by ECHO, in the framework of UNDP Livelihoods recovery at local level, aims at raising the income of local women.
It also contributes in the enhancement of the living conditions of the residents of Barqa and the surrounding villages. more

The United Association of Cooperatives in Akkar was facing a recurrent problem in its apple produces. Apples stored in the common cooperatives refrigerator were seasonally hit by a common apple disease: Accharose. Although, farmers were increasing pesticides usage and frequency of usage, they couldn't reach any effective result. In addition and despite the increased usage of fertilizers, apples were still very low in calcium and did not subsist in the refrigerator storage too long.

The UNDP project for socio economic development in Akkar, helped the cooperatives address this issue. The project reviewed with the farmers the whole process from planting to harvesting and storing and provided the farmers with guidance and tips to better conduct this process. more

Al Shifa beekeeping Cooperative in Toul/Kfour (Nabatyeh Kada), founded in 2002, had been facing several challenges in its processing and production techniques such as high level of humidity in the produce, high cost and time consuming filtering processes- mainly due to the traditional equipment being used. In addition, with the introduction of the new national processing and packaging regulations, the beekeeping Cooperative was unable to market the totality of its products.

UNDP through its socio economic rehabilitation and development programmes in the south, embarked in a support project to the cooperative through assistance in the establishment of a modern center that offered new methodologies in production and packaging. more

Since 2003, UNDP, the Dryland Development Center of the United Nations, the German Agency for Technical Cooperation and the Ministry of Agriculture embarked in the elaboration of a National Action Plan (NAP) for combating desertification and its deteriorating effect on poverty. Following the recommendations of the NAP, UNDP and the MoA are currently implementing a project to promote rural development in drylands under moderate or high threats of desertification through the introduction of innovative market approaches.

The current project has already identified pilot products for which optimized production can be achieved in dryland areas. The products were tested in Finland for their quality, purity and microbiological properties. Accordingly, six products were finally selected based on their potential to be marketable and launched in the Finnish market. These products include: Zaatar mixture, Sumac, Burghol, Rose Water, Carob molasses, almonds and raisins. The brand name "Drylands-Lebanon" and logo were also produced. more

Fishermen's Livelihood Recovery
5 November 2008

Four hundred boats were destroyed, fishing activity was completely halted and more than 5,000 fishermen lost their unique source of income affecting thousands of families that used to rely on the fishing sector for their livelihoods. This was the impact of the July 2006 war on fishermen's livelihood as a result of the bombing and oil spill along the Lebanese shores.

UNDP rapidly identified fishermen as one of the groups heavily affected by the conflict. Interventions to facilitate quick resuming of activities were initiated starting with the identification of fishermen needs and followed by the procurement of lost equipment such as fishing nets, hooks, lines, ropes and fishing floats. In addition, fishermen identified a need for better hygiene practices at the ports and therefore the project also procured cleaning materials and detergents, high pressure washers for cleaning the fish markets, specialized pocket knives and rain suits. more

Oregano Cultivation in Halloussieh
5 November 2008

The widespread of cluster bombs following the July 2006 war affected the livelihoods of several communities among which wild collectors of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs), such as local Oregano collectors in South Lebanon.

Among the several initiatives supported by UNDP for the recovery of livelihoods, a special project for the cultivation of MAPs in several villages was implemented in four communities. One of the villages in which this intervention was very successful is Hallousieh where more than twelve households benefited from UNDP project. UNDP identified the beneficiaries following specific criteria and thorough interviews, ensuring that all of them were actually collectors who lost their source of income due to their inability to collect oregano from the wild which is now filled with cluster bombs. Most of the beneficiaries were women who were extensively involved in this activity in Halloussieh pre July 2006 war. more

Cooperatives sharing the UN agencies their day

Residents from various sectarian backgrounds and identity groups will become more familiar with the customs and traditions of Lebanese living in other areas, as part of partnership initiative between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), a local private sector organization, in close collaboration with national counterparts and civil society organizations.

This year's celebration was characterized by the culinary diversity of the country through different colorful and handmade products, ranging from the conventional ones such as thyme, rose water, to the more unusual such as pumpkin jam, carob molasses and even distilled medical plants. more