Beirut
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation Beirut office is primarily focused on Lebanon and Syria. Regional and local turmoil makes the work of the foundation in these two countries challenging, forcing our office in Beirut to constantly adapt to new social and political changes. To contribute towards a peaceful and democratic transition in the Syrian society, FNF helps by offering conflict resolution workshops and educational trainings to Syrians and in particular to Syrian refugees in Lebanon. In Lebanon, our main objective is to support Lebanese start-ups, civil society organizations and liberal political parties.
News
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Lebanon’s protest movements of 2015 and 2019: A comparative analysis
The 2015 and 2019 protest movements represented a new hope for the Lebanese to reform the political system and combat corruption in state institutions. However, both movements faced obstacles and were not able to obtain their objectives. This research seeks to explore why the civil society movements in Lebanon were not able to exert pressure on the sectarian parties to introduce genuine political and socio-economic reforms and to combat corruption.
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The Kafala System in Lebanon - An Unequal Power Balance
The sixth issue of the series addresses the kafala system in Lebanon. The kafala system is a legal framework defining the relationship between migrant workers and their employers that is widespread in the Middle East. While it is designed to supply booming economies with cheap labour, basic principles of labour and human rights law are often times completely omitted.
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Aleppo’s destruction from above
Monther Itaky was a fourth-year fine arts student when he was detained in 2012. He is a photographer, designer and film editor and lived in Aleppo from his birth in 1989 until he was forcibly displaced in late 2016. In his SyriaUntold story he shares how changing the perspective to birds eye view influenced his work.
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Liberal Q: Quo Vadis Syria?
Moderated by SPIEGEL reporter Thore Schröder, we highlight Syria 10 years after the first protests erupted. With our two Syrian speakers Lina Sinjab, a BBC Middle East correspondent, and Nazir Madi, a human rights activist based in Germany, we look back at how these were perceived by them back then, but also at how the country looks like today, who the main players are and what the humanitarian situation is.
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Women of Lebanon: Caroline Fattal
In our 8th issue, Nicole Hamouche profiles Caroline Fattal, Business Woman and Feminist, who empowers all girls and women around her to achieve their goals through sisterhood and mutual empowerment.
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Women in Politics: Political Savvy Skills for Future Female Leaders
FNF Lebanon and FNF Jordan, in collaboration with FNF Europe and IAF Gummersbach, held a three-day virtual visiting programme for 16 Lebanese and Jordanian influential female leaders and activists who work in the field of political participation and civic engagement in politics.
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Supporting Cultural Spaces in Lebanon
This paper aims to provide cultural recommendations for Lebanon during this critical moment in its history. Engaging in a collective reflection would enable a thoughtful implementation of new cultural policies over the next few years. These proposals will be backed by legal considerations which are imperative in tackling policy change in general.
Social Media
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In the context of the multifaceted crises that Lebanon is facing today, culture must not be relegated but should rather serve as a vector of recovery and inclusive development. In partnership with @sk_eyes, we are organizing the 13th edition of the @bsf_sk as a means to bring together Lebanese cultural actors to discuss and assess the shared struggles, ambitions, and vision for the cultural future of Lebanon. This edition will also showcase Lebanese artists and short live performances. Tune in on June 18 and 19 from 18:00 to 20:00 on FNF or BSF’s Facebook pages for the livestream!
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Our June Garage Gazette has just been sent out, if you havn't subscribed yet, make sure you do in #linkinbio! The monthly newsletter covers everything from our past projects, to upcoming events and news from our FNF network. #GarageGazette #fnflebanon
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Our third cultural policy paper with the Samir Kassir Foundation is out! Check out this piece by Dr. Hisham Zein Eddine on “Teaching Arts in Lebanese Schools: Facts, Obstacles and Expectations” that looks into the role of arts in education and aims to develop a research base that could serve as a reference for subsequent studies. It sheds light on the obstacles faced in teaching art education in schools and draws up a list of recommendations. Head to our link in bio for the full read!
