Articles
Title Author(s) Publishing Date Summary Keywords Dossier
Crisis and Retirement: Elderly in the Public Sector are struggling to secure their needs Luna Dayekh September, 2022

Building on the stories and experiences of four retired individuals in the military forces and public sector, this paper explores the limitations of the existing social insurance and pension schemes and questions their realities in light of the multiple and overlapping crises Lebanon is currently facing. The article highlights how the current crisis has brought considerable social and economic downgrading to public and military personnel, as the provided healthcare services and pension schemes are no longer adequate or a source of safety in their old age. The article concludes that the pension schemes are insufficient to ensure a dignified life for these individuals and their families.

 Lebanon, Social Protection, Poverty, Elderly, Pension, Retirement, Military Forces, Public Sector Socio-Economic Rights Base, Conflict Analysis Project
Aging in Times of Crisis: Old Age Private Sector Workers Facing Growing Social Insecurity in Lebanon Luna Dayekh August, 2022

The article sheds light on the gaps and weaknesses of Lebanon’s social protection system and demands adequate support for all citizens, particularly for older people. It shows that elderly, who make up more than 11 percent of the population in Lebanon, have been paying the price of a weak social protection system that suffers from gaps in legal and effective coverage and lacks sustainable funding. The article highlights that persons who have worked informally or in self-employment occupations all their life are not eligible for social protection and entitlements, and are therefore dependent on alternative forms of support, or need to continue working after the age of retirement. The article calls for a rights-based lifecycle social protection system in Lebanon that would include, among others, old-age pensions.

 Lebanon, Social Protection, Poverty, Elderly, Pension, Retirement, Informal Sector, Self-Employment Socio-Economic Rights Base, Conflict Analysis Project
Extended Arenas of “Hirak”: Anti-Sectarian Electoral Contestation in Students and Syndicates’ Elections Stephanie Daher June, 2022

This article underlines how and in what ways anti-sectarian independent groups competing in (university) students and syndicates elections against the traditional political parties set a precedent through their electoral contestations and mobilisations. This article demonstrates that these elections contributed to the creation of collective consciousness reflected by a generation of activists advocating for anti-sectarianism and demanding change of the system. The paper exhibits how student councils and syndicates acted as extended arenas of “Hirak” (in Arabic “movement”), protracting traditional street mobilisation, in their fundamental role in contesting the existing political system. It explains the articulation of the university students’ and syndicates’ movement and the October 2019 thawra. 

 Lebanon, Activism, Emerging Political Actors, Students, Syndicates, Lebanese Sectarian System, Social movement Conflict Analysis Project
The Ration Card: A Response to the Economic Crisis in Lebanon. To what extent are cash transfer programs effective? Luna Dayekh May, 2022

The brief examines the Ration Card Program (RCP), an emergency cash transfer program that was issued by the Lebanese government to assist the poor and vulnerable Lebanese population affected by the ongoing economic crisis. The brief first introduces the RCP and its beneficiaries, and shows the shortcomings of the RCP that provides little support to beneficiaries, excludes a large section of the population, and is not sustainable. The brief then suggests alternative approaches and recommendations to shift toward a sustainable social security protection framework that supports the population as a whole.

 Lebanon, socio-economic demands, Policy Intervention, cash transfers, ration card, Inclusive Social Security, Emergency Response Socio-Economic Rights Base, Conflict Analysis Project
Bodies, Space, and Remembrance Nur Turkmani December, 2021

In this article, Nur Turkmani’s reflects on the ways that Lebanese streets became a place of intimate encounters during the October 2019 Thawra. Turkmani traces the various threats to the body, from the threats of police violence during the Thawra to the immunological threats of COVID-19 as people continued to reclaim public spaces during the early months of 2020, and how women’s bodies were often at the center of these spaces. 

 Gender, Lebanon, women, Women Bodies, Public Spaces, Revolution Gender Equity Network
On Chaos, Disruption, and Women in Public Space: Cairo’s Street Situation and the Murder of the “Maadi Girl” and the Single “Al Salam Doctor” Nehal Elmeligy December, 2021

In this essay, Nehal Elmeligy uses the chaos, unpredictability, and potential brutality of “the street” in Cairo to reflect on the murder of two Cairene women, the first killed in October 2020 and the second in April 2021.

 Cairo, Gender, Gender Based Violence, Chaos, Disruption, Public Space Gender Equity Network
Resistance, Gender, and Identity Politics: A Conversation with Rasha Younes Gabriella Nassif December, 2021

This interview highlights the complexities of gender through careful attention to collective resistance and uprising. It discusses the video documentary “If Not Now, When?” with Rasha Younes. 

 Lebanon, Gender, Identity Politics, Resistance, Feminism Gender Equity Network
CSR issue 5: Challenging Power: Gender and Social Justice in the Middle East - Introduction Gabriella Nassif November, 2021

This is the introduction of the Civil Society Review issue 5 "Challenging Power: Gender and Social Justice in the Middle East". Written by Gabriella Nassif, this introduction provides an overview of the issue, the circumstances during which it was written and compiled, the thematics it covers, and its reflections on the current moment of crisis in the region through the lens of gender.

 Gender Equity, Gender, Social Justice, Middle East Gender Equity Network
Possibilities and Challenges: Social Protection and COVID-19 Crisis in Jordan Abdalhadi Alijla November, 2021

This report describes the different programmes and the mechanisms used to reach the country’s most vulnerable groups. It focuses specifically on informal workers, women, and the youth. The report also shows that Jordan has used its existing social protection systems to reach vulnerable people through emergency cash transfer programmes, either by expanding the already existing programme (Takaful) or creating new ones (Tamkin Iqtisadi, Himaya, Musanid). The Jordanian government’s responsiveness and effectiveness were conditioned and restrictive towards women, informal workers, and refugees. This report analyses the government's response in an attempt to identify gaps in the Jordanian social protection system and how it can be further developed

 Jordan, Social Protection System, Covid-19 in Jordan, Informal Economy in Jordan Socio-Economic Rights Base, Conflict Analysis Project
COVID-19 Vaccines: Is equity between North and South still possible? Heba Wanis October, 2021

This article explores global vaccination inequity and wether equity in this regard is achievable between North and South. It covers the challenges faced by health systems in the region during the pandemic, issues of equity in access to the vaccine, and the developments and barriers relevant to vaccine production in the South.

 MENA Region, Right To Health, Vaccination Inequity, Social Justice, Crisis Prevention & Recovery Socio-Economic Rights Base, Conflict Analysis Project

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