Lebanon

The parliament opens its door on the International Day of Democracy

The United Nations International Day of Democracy was the opportunity for more than 150 Lebanese students to visit the Lebanese parliament. On this occasion, students from different universities, backgrounds and affiliation were part of a guided tour in the Parliament Building. This “open door” activity, that took place on Tuesday 15th of September 2009 from 10 am till 4 pm, was organized by the Lebanese parliament in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project in the parliament.Students were briefed on the role, the work of the Lebanese parliament, its functions and committees.

Divided into small groups, the students moved around different departments of the parliament. After a brief presentation on the history of the parliament and its various activities, they visited the IT department of the parliament, the library, the meeting rooms of the parliamentary commissions, and the office of MP Marwan Fares who briefed them about the important role of the parliament in nurturing the democratic foundations.

The highlight of the day was the visit to the main hall of the Parliament. Sitting in the seats of deputies, the students shared their opinions, fears, hopes, expectations and questions with a number of deputies, such as MPs Robert Fadel, Mohammad Kabbani, Robert Ghanem, Michel Moussa, Ali Bazzi and Ghassan Mokhayber.

Commenting on this visit, Yahia Ouieni, an American University of Beirut student, said that it was very significant. “It was a very rich experience to visit the parliament, have a tour in its departments and meet a number of deputies.” 

This year's commemoration is the second International Day of Democracy. It provides another opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world.
On this occasion, Speaker Nabih Berry, addressed a message stressing the importance of the democratic system and calling for making democracy the basis of the Lebanese school curricula.
 
”The International Day of Democracy is a reaffirmation by the international community of its commitment to build participatory and inclusive societies, based on the rule of law and fundamental human rights”, stated the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, in this year’s message on the International Day of Democracy.
It is worth mentioning that The General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed 15 September as the International Day of Democracy on the 8th of November 2007, inviting Member States, the United Nations system and other regional, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to commemorate the Day.