In its continuous efforts to increase public awareness of the challenges
facing the government, encourage public debates about environmental policies,
and propose solutions to the grave crises of Lebanon's deteriorating environment,
the LCPS with support from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the Canadian
International Development Agency, held a two-day conference on "Environmental
Crisis in Lebanon: Challenges and Alternatives". The conference was
attended by over 80 environmentalists, government officials, environmental
NGO representatives and journalists.
The conference was inaugurated by the Minister of Environment , Akram
Shhayeb. During the conference papers on such topics as: water and air
pollution, the effects of unplanned construction, problems of vegetation,
soil erosion, and desertification were presented.
It was designed to promote a national dialogue between the ministry, the concerned deputies, decision-makers, and industrials and environmental NGOs over the essential issues of conserving and enhancing Lebanon's environmental resources. The conference speakers and participants reassessed the condition of the environment in Lebanon, six years after the end of the war, and proposed solutions and recommendations for the management of the environment in Lebanon. The conference was concluded with two sessions in which the roles that governmental institutions, civil society, the Ministry of Environment, the Higher Council of the Environment could play in effectively managing the environment. Different alternatives for dealing with the environment were proposed and discussed, including the idea of creating a Lebanese Environmental Protection Agency for managing the environment.
Following the conference, recommendations concerning the topics discussed
during the course of the conference were compiled and published in various
Lebanese newspapers. All presentations (total of 32) are published
in LCPS' Arabic Journal; Abaad issues Number 7, and Number 8.
In cooperation with the German Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the LCPS
sponsored a symposium on occupational safety in Lebanese factories and
industries. The symposium was held on the 18th of June and it
brought together a number of industrialists, syndicalists, environmentalists,
and occupational health specialists. It featured a presentation by Tannous
Shalhoub of the Lebanese University, who is in the process of completing
a study on the subject based on a sample survey of selected industrial
establishments.
Dr. Shalhoub underlined the need for a review and modernization of occupational
safety legislation, for the stricter enforcement of current legislation,
and for growing awareness and further research on the issue. In preparing
his final paper, Dr. Shalhoub took in consideration the constructive comments
and suggenstions made during the workshop discussion period. The LCPS published the paper
in a booklet entitled: Industrial Safety and the Occupational Environment in Lebanese Industry.
As a follow-up to the 1996 conference on Lebanon and the EU- partnership,
the LCPS with support from the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation, held a two-day
conference on the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, with special emphasis
on the formation of joint ventures. The conference hosted senior officials,
prominent academics, leading businessmen, as well as officials from the
European Commission and the European Investment Bank. All invited conference
speakers are directly or indirectly involved with the current negotiations
between Lebanon and the EU or in research in this field.
The main aim of the conference was to familiarize the private sector
with all issues relevant to the formation of joint ventures with European
firms. The conference served as a unique opportunity for all to meet with
national and international experts involved in recent research in that
field, establish contact with them, and discuss potential European-Lebanese
relations.
A selection of five conference working papers were published in a report.