NNA – President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, Dr. Charles Arbid, participated in the General Assembly of the Federation of French-speaking Economic, Social and Environmental Councils, UCESIF, which was held at the headquarters of the Economic Council in Paris, under the chairmanship of the President of the Federation of Economic and Social Councils of Francophone Countries, Thierry Baude, and the participation of the Director of the World Organization of La Francophonie, Geoffroy Mont Petit Ahmed Reda El-Shamy, President of the Union of Economic and Social Councils of African Countries, and Minister of State for Francophone Affairs, Chrysola Zakaropoulou.
Lebanon word
Arbid gave a speech, in which he said: “It gives me great pleasure to be among you, in this symbolic place, the headquarters of the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council, which embodies the great history of France and the values of the Republic over the centuries.
These values that we all share, collectively here, are also the backbone of Francophonie. It is an essential anchor for Lebanon. He promised the absolute cooperation of the Lebanese Economic, Social and Environmental Council, in the service of a stronger, more cohesive and present union on the Francophone arena, and on the regional and international arenas.
Arbid stressed that “together we can build synergies that serve the call of our institutions, and carry the torch of dialogue, good governance and participatory democracy, which are among the pillars and beacons of contemporary Francophonie and the foundations of our councils.”
He added: “My country has been going through a serious monetary, economic and social crisis for nearly 3 years, which shook the foundations of our society. In a strongly dollarized economy, the collapse of the value of the Lebanese pound has affected wages, exacerbated the poverty of the most vulnerable groups, and caused a sharp decline in The purchasing power of the middle class.Inflation, the skyrocketing cost of living, the inability of the political class to solve the dilemma of corruption and inefficiency in taking the necessary concrete measures quickly while waiting for the required reforms, has led to a sharp polarization in social inequalities, which has led to a violent transformation of the social hierarchy. and the absorption of a large part of the middle class by the poor.
Arbid pointed to “the impact of the shaky banking sector, which is actually stopped paying, and the “informal” supervision on the transfer of capital, and all of this bears the burden of depositors alone,” noting that “all these elements ignited the October 17, 2019 revolution once morest the ruling class. The crisis worsened Because of the Covid epidemic, but above all because of the terrible explosion in the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020.
He continued: To face this disaster, civil society, our youth and the diaspora in particular have mobilized significantly their energies. They have enjoyed wide support from Lebanon’s friends, led by France.
France is always present at Lebanon’s side, and keen to preserve its stability, mission and future, thanking the French support for giving priority to the education sector, the pillar of Lebanese excellence, as well as the hospital sector.
Arbid added: “Since the beginning of our term in the Lebanese Economic, Social and Environmental Council, we have bet on a comprehensive dialogue of citizens. We have pledged to gather the main parties that make up the political system and representatives of the productive sectors, employers and workers, professional social systems, civil society and independent experts.
This resulted in a series of proposals, studies and roadmaps centered on structural reforms to be undertaken in the social and economic sphere, which were agreed upon by all, and subsequently passed on to politicians.
He stressed that “our councils must be active in formulating citizens’ policies and act as ‘tools for change’ in the service of reforms,” noting that “the council hosted several meetings with those responsible for Lebanon’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, where the main concern was to prevent the burden of burdening the bulk of it.” of the financial sector losses to depositors.
In a different context, Arbid urged the government to “initiate decisive reforms related to economic, financial, tax and judicial governance, and those related to budgetary and structural policies, including exchange rate unification, as part of an economic plan that integrates the necessary protection networks for the vulnerable.” Encouraging “the restructuring of the banking sector in accordance with a plan that conforms to international standards, allowing the economy to be financed once more.”
Arbid said, “The state also needs a plan to rehabilitate its infrastructure, as the CEDRE conference, which was held in 2018, and in which we participated, raised nearly $11 billion.” He pointed out that “the vitality of our civil society, and the distinctive ‘flexibility’ of our productive forces, are perfectly combined with our role as a link between the living forces of the nation. In this spirit, we continue to develop the dimensions associated with modern democracy and participatory democracy in our Assembly, which was expressed in the recent law of the April 2022 for the law establishing the council, in a way that enhances its position, powers and areas of contributions, while adding the environment to its title, thus dedicating “citizen participation” and expanding direct consultation, through popular petitions, to include all classes of society.
Confronting the issue of Syrian refugees and the threats of regional insecurity, Arbid stressed “the need to achieve economic and societal stability in Lebanon and thus, to implement a dynamic of indispensable reforms, demanded by many Lebanese as well as by the International Monetary Fund and the international community, as a precondition for granting Significant financial assistance that can be used to finance his economic recovery,” noting that “this insistence is at the core of our work in the Lebanese Economic, Social and Environmental Council.”
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