Conferences and Workshops

Cooperation Dialogue between Parliament and Civil Society Organizations – December 2003

Organized by the Forum for Parliamentary Dialogue (FPD), the Lebanese Parliament Secretary General for External Affairs, SUNY/CLD, and USAID, the seminar dealt with the importance of collaboration between the legislature and civic associations, existing challenges to a useful dialogue, and obstacles to the full participation of associations in shaping public policy. More than eighty representatives from government ministries, NGOs and other civil society advocacy groups participated in this seminar.

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Media Impact on Citizen Participation in Shaping Public Policy - November of 2002

Organized by the Center in collaboration with the FPD, the two-day workshop focused on the role of the media in influencing citizen participation in determining public policy, as well as Parliament’s goals of improving work processes and increasing transparency.

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Joint Parliamentarian and Civil Society Forum - November 2001

In preparation for the Regional Preparatory Process that led to the 2002 United Nations Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa the Center sponsored a forum, ‘Good Governance for Sustainable Development’ at the Parliament in collaboration with: the United Nations Environment Programs (UNEP/ROWA); Economic and Social Council for West Asia (ESCWA); the United Nations Development Program (UNDP); the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment, League of Arab States; the Arab Parliamentary Union; the Lebanese Parliament; the Lebanese Ministry of Environment; and the Forum for Parliamentary Dialogue (FPD).

Participants included Lebanese MPs and their staff, representatives of NGOs operating in Lebanon, parliamentarians and staff from Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Tunisia; and NGO representatives from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and the UAE. Topics discussed included good governance and its effects on policy-making in the Arab world; challenges and opportunities in projects for sustainable development; and priorities for the next decade including poverty eradication, debt alleviation, population management, investment in human capital and capacity building, technology transfer, and research and development, and cultural heritage for development.

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The Lebanese Parliament and Non-Governmental Organizations–June 2000 and November 2001

The Center, in collaboration with the Forum for Parliamentary Dialogue and the Lebanese Parliament, organized “The Lebanese Parliament and Non-Governmental” workshop attended by Members of Parliament, NGO representatives, and citizen activists. SUNY/CLD conducted a study and developed a document outlining the need for a Public Benefit Law, a paper that was used in related workshops later held in Beirut, the Beqaa, South Lebanon, and Tripoli. The paper was prepared with the assistance of current and former Members of Parliament, public employees, and specialists in civil work. In order for specialists and government officials to follow up on the previous workshop and provide suggestions for amending the proposed law, the Center and the FPD held an additional workshop in November of 2001.

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Public Benefit Law Workshop – November 2001

In collaboration with the Forum for Parliamentary Dialogue (FPD) the Center organized a workshop to introduce legislative processes and public policies in Lebanon to NGOs. Attended by more than 80 representatives of NGOs operating in the country. Prior to the workshop the Center prepared a study on the Public Benefit Law that was used in four regional workshops held the same year in Beirut, Chtoura, Sidon, and Tripoli. Following the workshops, the Center developed recommendations for amendments to the existing law.

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Conference on Public Policy in a Parliamentary System – September 1999

The participated in a conference in September of 1999 organized by the Lebanese Non-Governmental Organization Forum designed to promote closer ties between Parliament and the public, and to enhance NGO involvement in the law-making process. Entitled ‘The Role and Influence of Public Policy in a Parliamentary Political System’ the conference was attended by MPs and representatives of various NGOs who discussed the extent to which the existing political system allows citizen or NGO participation in the decision-making process, mechanisms to create a larger role for NGOs and citizens in the decision-making process and governance of the country, and strategies to facilitate more effective communication between NGOs and the Government. The Center emphasized throughout the conference the necessity of initiating and implementing democratic practices as a way of bringing positive changes to the political system in Lebanon and suggested that one of the most significant ways of increasing NGO participation in policy-making would be to permit NGOs to analyze and discuss the proposed laws with MPs prior to a vote being taken.
 

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Preparatory Workshop on "Strengthening the Role of Arab Parliaments in the Third Millennium"

The Lebanese Parliament and the Regional Office of United Nations Development Program (RO-UNDP) in coordination with the Center, organized a two-day workshop December 6-7, 1999 to address: 1)the role of Arab parliaments and the challenges faced regionally and worldwide; 2) comparative studies on parliaments in the region; 3) the administrative and technical needs of regional parliaments; and 4) the development of enhanced relations between Arab parliaments. Representatives of the Arab Parliamentary Union, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as well as civic leaders and legislative experts attended the workshop.

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Structure of the Lebanese Parliament – August 1998

Following several years of sustained work with the Lebanese Parliament, the Center agreed with parliamentary officials that a workshop addressing current challenges facing the legislature should be organized. Held in the Chouf in August of 1998, the five-day workshop focused on clarification of the role of Members of Parliament, review of contemporary legislative experiences in the region and worldwide, and identification of the major problems confronting legislative staff. A set of recommendations were developed designed to enhance the role of Parliament as a democratic institution, strengthen constituent relations, and develop a modern institutional structure through the use of information technology. Based on the recommendations of the workshop, the Center conducted a study of the administrative structure of Parliament. A proposal for complete administrative restructuring was developed; this proposal was later adopted by the Parliament.


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