NNA – For the second year in a row, the Lebanese American University (LAU) hosted on its Beirut campus a closing symposium for students who successfully completed the Tomorrow’s Leaders Gender Scholars program (TLS) funded by “US Partnership Initiative Middle East (MEPI)” at the US State Department, in the presence of representatives of the US Embassy as the official sponsor of this program.
The symposium was supported by the United Nations represented by the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Women, Sima Buhouth, while the panel discussions were moderated by experts in gender equality with the participation of the students of the program who worked on recommendations on strategies and policies to achieve equality, peace and development.
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The President of the University, Dr. Michel Moawad, expressed his “pride in what the 126 students who participated in the program have accomplished,” and referred to the university’s beginnings when it was established as an institute for women’s education and empowerment with the aim of achieving gender equality. He said: “We launched a university culture on the issue of equality and graduated generations of women leaders who They made a difference in our world.” On behalf of (LAU), he thanked the American people and government for their sustainable contributions over many years, which led to impressive results that are reflected in the academic programs, research and various activities. This can be seen in many ways in Lebanon and the region.
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For her part, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy Janay Cooley began her speech by encouraging graduates of this program at the beginning of their career journey, stressing that “the US government is currently investing more than $70 million to support scholarships provided by the Tomorrow’s Leaders program at several universities.” She considered that “the students who participated in the symposium are the beating heart of a growing culture of gender studies at the Lebanese American University,” noting “the efforts of all professors, experts and activists who enabled the students to become the first champions of social justice and gender equality, and the efforts of the LAU team in Managing the “Tomorrow’s Pioneers” program.
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As for research, it presented figures on “women’s participation in the labor force and political life and the care roles they occupy in Arab societies,” and indicated that “Arab women suffered 41 percent of the losses in jobs related to the epidemic, which led to a decrease in female participation in the workforce.” female workers at 20.8 percent, which is the largest gender gap in all regions and in the world,” stressing “the urgent need to empower women economically and enhance their participation,” considering that “the role of the media is now more important than ever, especially in terms of addressing a crisis.” inequality”.
The Academic Director of the Program, Dr. Lina Kreidieh, spoke regarding the importance of educating and empowering the younger generation and working in a positive direction towards change, followed by the Director of the Arab Institute for Women (AIW) Myriam Sfeir, who spoke regarding mainstreaming a gender perspective in all lessons at the Lebanese American University. She explained that “the institute works closely with male and female students through seminars, lectures and research works published in a special issue of the institute’s Al-Raeda magazine.”
Finally, the Executive Director of the program, Dina Abdel Rahman, expressed her pride in the students and urged them to “be hopeful and move forward despite the current challenges in Lebanon.”
It is noteworthy that the symposium included three workshops: the first on “Ensuring a safe and inclusive workplace for more sustainable development” moderated by gender expert Dr. Jennifer Skalt Aweys, and the second on “Diversity and inclusion for sustainable peace and security” led by the Mediation Adviser at UN Women Karma Ekmekji, and the third on “Representation and Reception of Gender and Sexuality in the Media” moderated by Gretchen King, Assistant Professor at the Lebanese American University of Multimedia Journalism and Communication.
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