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NEWS

Mr. Rabih Sabra, Director General of the Chamber of Beirut and Mount Lebanon, participated in the Working Group created by ASCAME that will carry out support activities offered to the Chambers of Commerce and the private sector to better face the current challenges . The objective is to create synergies, thanks to ASCAME extensive network, for economic recovery and for a new development model based on the key sectors of the region through the New Agenda for the Mediterranean and NextGenerationEU among others. ASCAME working group will announce shortly the upcoming activities among the members in March 2021 within the variety of instruments and public initiatives that present great benefits for the BSOs and for the Mediterranean private sector. &nbsp;

ASCAME Working Group meeting

CHAMBER

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انضم الى البرنامج الاوروبي التدريبي في المهن اللوجستية المرفأية

بيروت في 31 كانون الثاني 2021 عقدت الهيئات الاقتصادية اللبنانية اجتماعاً برئاسة رئيسها الوزير السابق محمد شقير عبر تطبيق zoom&nbsp; بمشاركة الأعضاء، خصصته لمناقشة مشروع موازنة العام 2021 وآخر المستجدات الراهنة في لبنان. وأصدرت الهيئات الاقتصادية بياناً، أشارت فيه الى انها توقفت عند الاحتجاجات التي حصلت في طرابلس وما رافقها من أعمال شغب وتخريب، معربة عن استنكارها الشديد لما تعرضت له عاصمة الشمال وأهلها لا سيما إحراق مبنى بلدية طرابلس والمحكمة الشرعية وتخريب السراي والاعتداء على الممتلكات، مطالبة القوى الأمنية والعسكرية باتخاذ كل التدابير المشددة للحفاظ على الأمن في طرابلس وحماية المواطنين والاملاك العامة والخاصة. وإذ أكدت الهيئات تعاطفها الشديد مع وجع الناس واحترامها وتأييدها لحرية التعبير السلمي ورفضها المطلق للواقع المزري، حذرت من تسارع الانهيار الاقتصادي والاجتماعي والمعيشي وتوسع دائرة البطالة والفقر والجوع، مطالبة الحكومة بتحمل مسؤوليتها وتوزيع المساعدات المالية بأقصى سرعة على العائلات الأكثر عوزاً. ولفت البيان الى ان الهيئات الاقتصادية أجرت مناقشة أولية لمشروع موازنة العام 2021، لافتة الى انها ستعمل على دراسة المشروع بشكل متأنٍ للنظر في مدى استجابة الموازنة للحاجات الاقتصادية والمالية المستجدة وتضمنها إجراءات إصلاحية وتحفيزية تساهم في الحفاظ على ما تبقى من مقومات اقتصادية واستعادة النمو، على ان تعد ورقة تتضمن مقترحاتها وملاحظاتها على مشروع الموازنة لتسليمها الى الجهات المعنية. وأشار البيان الى ان الهيئات توقفت أيضاً عند ما يثار بشأن مراسلة المدعي العام السويسري المتعلقة بحاكم مصرف لبنان رياض سلامه، وأهابت بالجميع التحلي بأكبر قدر من المسؤولية في التعاطي مع هذا الملف الحساس، تفادياً لحصول انعكاسات مدمرة على الاقتصاد الوطني وتحديداً على المصرف المركزي والقطاع المصرفي وعلى علاقات لبنان المالية مع الخارج. وعلى هذا الأساس، شددت الهيئات على ضرورة ترك أمر البت في القضية للقضاء المختص كي تبقى الأمور في مكانها الصحيح الذي يعود له حصراً أمر الملاحقة واصدار الاتهامات والأحكام.

بيان - الهيئات الاقتصادية 31 ك2

بيروت في 16 تموز 2021 فهد يبحث مع سفير مالدوفا تفعيل التعاون الاقتصادي الثنائي &nbsp; إستقبل نائب رئيس غرفة بيروت وجبل لبنان نبيل فهد اليوم في مقر الغرفة سفير مالدوفا في لبنان ديمتري كرواتو بحضور العميد نبيل مرعي، وتم البحث في سبل تنمية العلاقات الاقتصادية لا سيما بين القطاع الخاص في البلدين. بداية، رحب فهد بالسفير كرواتو، وأكد إهتمام القطاع الخاص اللبناني بتفعيل التعاون مع نظيره المالدوفي، مشدداً على ضرورة تنظيم لقاءات بين رجال الأعمال في البلدين لإستكاف الفرص المتاحة والنظر في إمكانية التعاون والاستثمار فيها. من جهته، نوه كرواتو بالأفكار التي طرحها فهد لتفعيل العلاقات الاقتصادية الثنائية، مؤكداً إستعداد بلاده ومن ضمن الإمكانات المتاحة للقيام بما يلزم لتحقيق تقدم على هذه المسار. وأشاد كرواتو بالقطاع الخاص اللبناني وديناميته، مشدداً على الإتفاق على خطوات عملية لتفعيل التعاون بين القطاع الخاص وتنمية العلاقات الاقتصادية بين البلدين. ولفت فهد الى أنه تم الاتفاق على تنظيم وفود من رجال أعمال من مالدوفا الى لبنان وبالعكس، للإطلاع بشكل مباشر على الفرص المتاحة والبحث في إمكانية التعاون بين رجال الاعمال في البلدين. &nbsp;

بيان - إستقبال سفير مالدوفا

Brief Summary <ol> <li>Background</li> </ol> The Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Beirut and Mount-Lebanon (CCIA-BML), a non-profit private organization working for the public benefit, is a partner in the EU funded project <a href="http://www.enicbcmed.eu/projects/internisa">INTERNISA</a>. The project aims at providing digital skills trainings to women as well as know-how about digitalization approaches to SMEs and to public sector. The objective is to reduce the gender gap in digital skills and also to facilitate the employment of digitally skilled women. INTERNISA is co-financed 90% by the European Union through the ENI CBC-MED program. INTERNISA Project falls under the thematic priority A.3 Promotion of social inclusion and the fight against poverty. INTERNISA seeks to combine training in the digital sector with professional development in the agro-food, textile, tourism and financial sectors. To reach its objective, the project will develop online and offline services addressed to women and employers providing training curricula and programs. The project activities will culminate with interventions related to match-making of labor demand and supply through and online platform and job fairs to foster contacts among job seekers and employers. INTERNISA is implemented in seven Med countries and involves the Region of Central Macedonia (Lead partner), ActionAid Hellas (Greece), Al Balqa Applied University (Jordan), Catalan Youth Agency of the Regional Government of Catalonia and Andalusia Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (Spain), SQLI Services (Tunisia), Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture of Beirut and Mount Lebanon, Arrezzo Innovatione (Italy), and ActionAid Palestine. <ol> <li value="2">The Survey: Mapping Lebanese SMEs skills needs in four sectors</li> </ol> Within the INTERNISA context, an online survey was conducted in all partner countries- Lebanon included- to identify the skills needs and collect information about the requested digital skills needed in the Lebanese enterprises market, mainly in four selected sectors: Agro food, textiles, finance and tourism. This survey is divided into 4 sections that cover the companies information; women integration practices; soft and digital skills needed to engage women in the market and finally the best women friendly practices through Code of Conduct. <ol> <li value="3">Target</li> </ol> The survey targeted companies&rsquo; directors, administrators and human resource managers. 121 different companies and organizations were questioned and revealed their insights regarding women integration in labour market from SMEs perspective. <ol> <li value="4">Survey key results</li> </ol> a- Profile of respondents The highest number of respondent companies belong mainly to the agro-food and finance sectors. As for the gender repartition, males showed a higher participation rate (55%) than women (45%) in such decision making positions. Also, 58% of the respondents are likely to be young since they are mostly less than 40 years old. &nbsp;Regarding the educational background of respondents, results reveal a diversity on academic levels yet the majority of participants, more than 30%, completed their undergraduate studies (university education). The results revealed as well that 52% of the participants are managers of companies and most of these companies are small and belong to the private sector. Generally, results clearly showed that the participants sample represent a group of young people that are decision makers and support women entry to the market. b- Women integration practices The survey mapped the women integration practices by identifying the actions carried out by companies to protect women against abuse and violence. The survey identified as well the initiatives taken by companies to support women capacity building through training programs. Results showed that 70% of the companies constantly update their technological systems. Therefore, some of these companies develop internal training programs to upscale the digital skills of female employees particularly on ICT. Moreover, results revealed that half of companies are aligned with the gender digital parity to avoid any form of gender digital discrepancy. Also, 78% of these companies contribute to the training programs in order to benefit, encourage and increase the women integration into the labour market. c- Soft and digital skills needs This section tackled the soft and digital skills needs of women in the workplace. Indeed, these needs must enable women to create and share digital content, to communicate more easily and to solve problems of creative and effective fulfilment in their workplace, in life and in their social activities. Thus, the questionnaire revealed that all companies are aware of the importance of the need for these skills to strengthen the engagement of women in the Lebanese economical system. d- Code of Conduct Section four of the survey investigated the applicability of friendly gender policies in companies through the code of conduct. Results showed that 71% of participant companies put in place a code of conduct and ethics on which the gender equality occupies an important place. Regarding the hiring policy, 71% of the companies revealed that their recruitment policies encourage non-discriminating job advertisements, while 28% of companies do not refer to jobs Ads. Regarding the HR policies, 60% of companies do not set HR policies that include specific gender-based discrimination clauses. Moreover, 81% of respondent companies apply wages and benefit policies to equally pay male and female employees when they own the same academic qualifications and experience for the same job position. Regarding the policy support for equal opportunities for female and male in terms of access to training-professional development-career promotion, 67% of the companies support gender parity on this level. However, 50% of the participant companies do not offer flexible arrangements or on-site facilities to pregnant women. Nevertheless, 61% of respondents put in place internal policies that include clauses against harassment and women abuse in workplace. Conclusion Based on the over examination of the information collected on SMEs survey, it comes out that the largest number of companies embrace non-discriminating work policies. Some companies developed written policies and code of conduct, particularly the large companies while the small companies encourage non-discriminatory policies through its onsite operations and policies even if not stated within the company official documents. The INTERNISA project launched as well women skills needs survey that we will disseminate its key findings in the upcoming issue of Econews. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

INTERNISA SMEs Skills Needs Survey

<h1 style="margin-left: 40px;">&nbsp;</h1> <h1>Sawsan Wazzan-Jabri&nbsp;: &laquo;&nbsp;Notre partenariat avec la CCI de Beyrouth&nbsp; dans le cadre de YEP MED offrira aux jeunes de Dar el-aytam al-islamiya un avenir professionnel prometteur dans l&rsquo;univers portuaire&nbsp;&raquo;</h1> &nbsp; Membre du conseil d&rsquo;administration de l&rsquo;orphelinat Dar el-aytam al-islamiya et de la Chambre de commerce de Beyrouth et du Mt-Liban, Sawsan Wazzan-Jabri,&nbsp; &nbsp;femme de coeur consid&egrave;re que le programme europ&eacute;en d&rsquo;aide professionnelle d&eacute;di&eacute; aux jeunes les plus d&eacute;munis qui ont entre 18 et 30 ans est un devoir en faveur &laquo;&nbsp;des enfants de la patrie&nbsp;&raquo;. &nbsp; <ol> <li value="NaN">Peut-on dire que YEP MED dont la CCIB de Beyrouth et du Mont-Liban est un partenaire principal est une opportunit&eacute; professionnelle ind&eacute;niable pour les jeunes libanais&nbsp;? Et pour quelle cible&nbsp;?</li> </ol> Effectivement ce projet est une opportunit&eacute; ind&eacute;niable pour tous les jeunes qui ont entre 18 et 30 ans, qui n&rsquo;ont pas pu avoir acc&egrave;s &agrave; l&rsquo;enseignement ou pas suffisamment et qui n&rsquo;ont personne pour les soutenir. En arabe, nous les appelons &laquo;&nbsp;ceux qui n&rsquo;ont pas de famille&nbsp;&raquo;. YEP MED leur ouvrira la porte de plusieurs formations qui sont toutes en lien avec l&rsquo;univers maritime et portuaire. Parmi les modules enseign&eacute;s durant leur formation on peut notamment citer&nbsp;: les services d&eacute;livr&eacute;s par les entreprises de transport pr&eacute;sentes au Port, l&rsquo;exportation, le remplissage et la conduite des conteneurs, la saisie des donn&eacute;es ou encore les proc&eacute;d&eacute;s des salles de contr&ocirc;le. Les enseignements d&eacute;livr&eacute;s peuvent tout aussi bien mener un jeune &agrave; apprendre &agrave; remplir la marchandise qu&rsquo;&agrave; surveiller les entr&eacute;es et les sorties des conteneurs par exemple. L&rsquo;univers maritime et portuaire n&rsquo;a rien &agrave; voir avec les m&eacute;tiers traditionnels, c&rsquo;est un univers &agrave; part, il ne s&rsquo;agit pas d&rsquo;&ecirc;tre assis derri&egrave;re un bureau au guichet d&rsquo;une banque ou d&rsquo;un bistrot. Le plus int&eacute;ressant dans ces formations c&rsquo;est qu&rsquo;elles offrent un panel de 20 services d&rsquo;apprentissage diff&eacute;rents de ce corps de m&eacute;tier ouvrant ainsi les champs du possible d&rsquo;enseignements aux jeunes gens qui participeront. Bien sur chacune ou chacun d&rsquo;entre eux sera rep&eacute;r&eacute; durant l&rsquo;apprentissage comme &eacute;tant plus apte &agrave; faire partie de tel d&eacute;partement ou tel service. Notons aussi que ces formations ne sont pas sans lendemain, elles permettront par la suite d&rsquo;obtenir un emploi dans une des entreprises travaillant au port. Je tiens &agrave; saluer la compagnie BTCC, l&#39;entreprise charg&eacute;e de l&#39;administration et la gestion du terminal de conteneurs et en particulier son pr&eacute;sident, Ziad Kanaan, qui assure au sein de l&rsquo;entreprise un programme &eacute;ducatif gratuit d&eacute;di&eacute; aux jeunes. Je tiens surtout &agrave; le remercier chaleureusement pour tous les efforts qu&rsquo;il entreprend au quotidien en faveur des enfants qu&rsquo;il affectionne particuli&egrave;rement. <ol> <li value="NaN">Vous &oelig;uvrez au quotidien pour les orphelins et leur-bien-&ecirc;tre au sein de Dar el-aytam al-islamiya dont vous &ecirc;tes membre du CA. Quel est donc votre r&ocirc;le au sein du projet YEP MED&nbsp;?</li> </ol> En tant que membre du Conseil d&rsquo;administration de la Chambre de commerce de Beyrouth et du Mont-Liban et en ma qualit&eacute; de membre du conseil d&rsquo;administration de Dar el-aytam al-islamiya, j&rsquo;&oelig;uvre aussi aupr&egrave;s du directeur g&eacute;n&eacute;ral de la Chambre, Rabih Sabra et la directrice des Ressources Humaines, Hana Nehme sur un projet qui est au service des citoyens. Quand on m&rsquo;a parl&eacute; du projet europ&eacute;en YEP MED j&rsquo;y ai vu une occasion de plus pour venir en aide aux jeunes de l&rsquo;orphelinat que nous accueillons d&egrave;s leur plus jeune &acirc;ge et que nous accompagnons jusqu&rsquo;&agrave; leur 18 ans. En effet, la plupart de ces enfants sont orphelins de p&egrave;re et de m&egrave;re, ou juste d&rsquo;un des deux parents, ils viennent aussi de familles &agrave; probl&egrave;mes ou ont &eacute;t&eacute; tout simplement abandonn&eacute;s, alors qu&rsquo;ils &eacute;taient &acirc;g&eacute;s de quelques jours. Notre mission a toujours &eacute;t&eacute; de les entourer, de les instruire et de les prot&eacute;ger comme une famille. Bien que notre responsabilit&eacute; s&rsquo;arr&ecirc;te lorsqu&rsquo;ils atteignent leur majorit&eacute;, donc 18 ans, nous avons toujours eu &agrave; c&oelig;ur de les aider aussi &agrave; trouver un stage ou un emploi. C&rsquo;est pourquoi le partenariat entre la Chambre et Dar el-aytam al-islamiya dans le cadre de YEP MED a &eacute;t&eacute; une &eacute;vidence pour moi, une fen&ecirc;tre d&rsquo;espoir pour ces jeunes qui r&eacute;pondent exactement aux sp&eacute;cificit&eacute;s du projet qui cible le Liban dans son ensemble. <ol> <li value="NaN">Concr&egrave;tement comment les jeunes issus de l&rsquo;orphelinat vont pouvoir participer &agrave; ce projet&nbsp;?</li> </ol> Dans un premier temps, nous allons sonder les jeunes de 17 ans pour voir qui serait int&eacute;resser de rejoindre ces formations &agrave; la fin de son cursus scolaire. Ensuite, main dans la main avec la Chambre, nous ferons une s&eacute;lection de ceux qui sont les plus aptes &agrave; int&eacute;grer ce projet. Ensemble nous serons aptes &agrave; leur assurer une profession prometteuse qui leur permettra de b&acirc;tir une vie &agrave; la hauteur de leurs aspirations. De plus, tout comme Dar el-aytam al-islamiya leur a ouvert les portes gracieusement, il en est de m&ecirc;me avec ces formations gratuites. <ol> <li value="NaN">Que pouvez-vous nous dire sur Dar el-aytam al-islamiya qui f&ecirc;te ses 100 ans d&rsquo;existence gr&acirc;ce &agrave; ses bienfaiteurs&nbsp;?</li> </ol> Dar el-aytam al-islamiya a 100 ans d&rsquo;histoire. Ce sont pr&egrave;s de 11 000 orphelins habitants aux quatre coins du territoire dans nos 56 succursales qui vont du nord au sud ce qui fait que nous pourrons venir en aide &agrave; des jeunes de toutes les r&eacute;gions &agrave; travers le projet YEP MED. Notre mission a toujours &eacute;t&eacute; d&rsquo;accompagner les enfants depuis leur plus jeune &acirc;ge, de la garderie en passant par leur inscription dans les &eacute;coles publiques et ce jusqu&rsquo;&agrave; ce qu&rsquo;ils aient atteint leur majorit&eacute;. Dar el-aytam al-islamiya peut &ecirc;tre consid&eacute;r&eacute;e comme la maison des enfants. Parfois un enfant est pris en charge, &agrave;&nbsp; l&rsquo;&acirc;ge de 5 ans tout simplement car sa maman est veuve et n&rsquo;a pas les moyens de subvenir &agrave; ses besoins. Nous recevons aussi des enfants cinq jours par semaine et qui repartent chez eux pour le week-end. Une de nos missions est aussi d&rsquo;assurer des bourses universitaires &agrave; ceux qui ont eu d&rsquo;excellentes notes au cours de leur cursus scolaire. Notre paix int&eacute;rieure vient du fait de savoir que ces enfants ne finiront pas abandonn&eacute;s dans les rues, &agrave; errer d&eacute;boussol&eacute;s sans personne pour leur tendre la main et surtout lorsque qu&rsquo;apr&egrave;s les avoir accompagn&eacute;s de tout notre c&oelig;ur, ils r&eacute;ussissent dans la vie. Des &laquo;&nbsp;success stories&nbsp;&raquo;, nous en avons aussi au sein de Dar el-aytam al-islamiya et c&rsquo;est r&eacute;confortant. Savoir que des projets de la sorte nous permettent main dans la main avec la Chambre de venir en aide aux enfants de la patrie est d&rsquo;un grand r&eacute;confort car c&rsquo;est le Liban que nous voulons. &nbsp; <div> La Chambre de commerce de Beyrouth et du Mont-Liban partenaire principal de du projet europ&eacute;en YEP MED Dans le cadre du programme ENI CBC MED, le projet strat&eacute;gique financ&eacute; par l&#39;Union europ&eacute;enne YEP MED a &eacute;t&eacute; lanc&eacute; en octobre 2020 et la Chambre de commerce, d&#39;industrie et d&#39;agriculture de Beyrouth et du Mont-Liban (CCIA-BML) est un partenaire principal. Financ&eacute; par ENI CBC MED, ce projet rassemble les communaut&eacute;s logistiques des ports m&eacute;diterran&eacute;ens de Barcelone, Valence, Marseille, Rome, l&rsquo;Egypte, la Tunisie, le Liban et la Jordanie. Le projet&nbsp;YEP MED&nbsp;(Emploi des jeunes dans les ports de la M&eacute;diterran&eacute;e)&nbsp;est n&eacute; de la n&eacute;cessit&eacute; de mieux adapter les besoins en comp&eacute;tences du march&eacute; du travail et les offres duales d&rsquo;enseignement et de formation professionnels et techniques dans le secteur des communaut&eacute;s portuaires m&eacute;diterran&eacute;ennes pour contribuer &agrave; la cr&eacute;ation d&rsquo;emplois et faciliter une croissance &eacute;conomique productive. Avec un accent particulier sur les prestations pour les jeunes, et en particulier&nbsp;les NEETS (les jeunes sans emploi, formation et &eacute;ducation&nbsp;et les&nbsp;opportunit&eacute;s&nbsp;pour&nbsp;les femmes. YEP MED augmentera et am&eacute;liorera les possibilit&eacute;s d&rsquo;emploi locales en renfor&ccedil;ant les comp&eacute;tences recherch&eacute;es par les PME et les start-ups. Son objectif principal est de mieux faire correspondre les besoins et comp&eacute;tences du march&eacute; du travail g&eacute;n&eacute;r&eacute;s par la logistique portuaire, un secteur &agrave; fort potentiel de croissance, avec l&#39;offre d&#39;EFTP afin de cr&eacute;er de nouveaux emplois pour les jeunes. Les ONG au Liban sont sollicit&eacute;es pour faciliter l&#39;acc&egrave;s de la Chambre au segment&nbsp; vuln&eacute;rable des NEETS ces jeunes hommes et femmes libanais &acirc;g&eacute;s de 18 &agrave; 30 ans afin que la Chambre puisse les encourager &agrave; s&#39;inscrire &agrave; ces doubles formations (en classe et sur le tas) et programmes de simulation au port logistique et faciliter ult&eacute;rieurement leur acc&egrave;s aux emplois connexes. </div>

Interview Mme Sawsan Wazzan-Jabri

<img alt="" src="https://www.ccib.org.lb/uploads/ffffffff_1.png" style="float: right; height: 200px; width: 300px;" /> Seeking to create opportunities for young women and men who are outside employment, education or training (NEETS) The Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Beirut and Mount Lebanon is implementing a European program for training in fields related to the port logistics sector, according to which the trainee obtains a certificate that facilitates his involvement in the labor market Therefore, the Chamber invites affiliated institutions operating in the field of import, export, clearance, sea freight, land transport, and other port services to fill out the following questionnaire Start English Survey :&nbsp;<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YEPMEDEN" target="_blank">https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YEPMEDEN</a> سعياً لخلق فرص للشابات والشبان الذين هم خارج إطار التوظيف أو التعليم أو التدريب NEETS ، تنفذ غرفة التجارة والصناعة والزراعة في بيروت وجبل لبنان برنامجاً أوروبياً للتدريب في مجالات مرتبطة بالقطاع اللوجستي المرفأي، يحصل بموجبه المتدرب على شهادة تسهل انخراطه في سوق العمل.<o:p></o:p> لذلك تدعو الغرفة المؤسسات المنتسبة العاملة في مجال الاستيراد، التصدير، التخليص، الشحن البحري، النقل البري، وغيرها من الخدمات المرفأية الى تعبئة الاستبيان التالي : <o:p></o:p> Start Arabic Survey :&nbsp;<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YEPMEDAR" target="_blank">https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YEPMEDAR</a>

Survey - Identification of Skills and Training Needs in Port Logistic

<div style="margin:2pt 0 0 0;">بعد الجهود الحثيثة التي بذلها معالي الرئيس محمد شقير مع الصندوق الوطني للضمان الاجتماعي لتمديد مفعول براءات الذمة، أصدر مجلس الوزراء المرسوم رقم 7402 القاضي بتمديد مفعول براءة الذمة التي يصدرها الصندوق الى 31/3/2021</div> <div style="margin:0;">&nbsp;</div> <img alt="" src="https://www.ccib.org.lb/uploads/22_1.jpg" style="width: 939px; height: 1135px;" />

المرسوم رقم 7402 القاضي بتمديد مفعول براءة الذمة

Ziad Kanaan: &ldquo;The EU funded project YEP MED is an exceptional opportunity for youth development and empowerment&rdquo; The president of the BCTC Company running the container terminal of Beirut Port highlights the collaboration with the CCIB, within the framework of the EU-funded YEP MED project which aims to provide vocational training and employability for the Mediterranean youth, especially the NEET and women. An initiative to welcome in those difficult moments of crisis and especially after August 4th blast. &nbsp; 1- Beirut Container Terminal Consortium is a private company. Since when are you running the container terminal of Beirut Port? What about its role and objectives? &nbsp; Beirut Container Terminal Consortium (BCTC) was the winner of an International public tender to operate the Container Terminal at the Port of Beirut and has been operating the Terminal since December 2004. The company&rsquo;s vision is to ensure a safe, high quality, and efficient model facility supporting local trade growth and serving as a transit and transshipment base for the region. The BCTC is a success for the Public Private Partnership Model and the Economy of Lebanon. With the Port of Beirut we have transformed Beirut into a key Transshipment Hub on the Eastern Mediterranean and developed the Terminal into one of the top 120 Terminals in the world. Handled cargo increased from 300K TEUs in 2004 to 1.30M TEUs in 2019. This led to economic growth for both the Public and Private sectors, employment opportunities, and higher liner shipping connectivity resulting in lower shipping time and cost for trade to and from Lebanon. Our workforce is more than 99% Lebanese and is comprised of around 650 employees (500 BCTC and 150 dedicated subcontractors). There was extensive investment in training and development programs especially at the start of operations that transferred the knowledge and expertise to our local workforce. Our operation was a new industry to Lebanon which is now being exported abroad. The terminal operates continuously 24/7 and deploys a large fleet of container handling equipment, 167 machines in total that include some of the largest Ship-to-Shore cranes in the world. These are the red and blue cranes that stand out at the eastern side of the port. The operations and maintenance rely on sophisticated information management systems specific to our industry. Investment in R&amp;D led to improved productivity and efficiency giving us a competitive advantage. BCTC&rsquo;s contract expired on 31 Jan 2020 and is being extended on a 3 months rolling basis awaiting the release of the new Concession tender. This is in the face of the country&rsquo;s well known and unprecedented challenges: The financial restrictions on foreign transfers puts Terminal operations at risk as there is an immediate need for critical goods and services that are sourced outside of Lebanon such as spare parts, software, and insurance premiums. This critical financial position was exacerbated by the impact of the August explosion. Let&rsquo;s add to all this, a backdrop of both the word coronavirus pandemic and the local economic depression which led to a severe drop in volumes and revenues, coupled with the dreadful local hyperinflation. This created extreme imbalances in our contacts. Urgent intervention by authorities is required to lift restrictions on our foreign transfers and to regain balance to ensure sustainability of the port and the integrity of the supply chain. &nbsp; &nbsp; 2- After August 4th Blast, Beirut and its Port and population were devastated. What was the emergency and crisis management role played by the company? &nbsp; Even though BCTC has its own emergency plan, no one was prepared for the scale of such a devastating blast.&nbsp; Yet, at the time of the blast, there was an instant response for the safety of employees. Search teams were directly assembled at the port. 3 colleagues were found with critical injuries. One unfortunately later passed away. There were 7 fatalities among our subcontractors. A complete count was done where we reached out to every employee to account for any missing colleagues and to check on the safety and health status of the ones we could reach. Unfortunately, 2 remained missing, and while the search at the port continued throughout the night into the early hours of the morning, other teams were visiting hospitals in Beirut and suburbs and calling further away hospitals several times a day to search for them. This carried on for more than a week until the bodies of the missing were found. Total casualties were 10 fatalities and 42 injuries including some major ones. Despite the heavy human casualties and the distress from the explosion and especially having 2 colleagues missing, the team assumed responsibility for getting the Terminal back to operation. A crisis management center was set up the next morning at the Citea hotel in Achrafieh. The management team was divided in two, one looking after the humanitarian side of the situation while the other focused on the technical and operational side. Priorities were defined. Clearly, first being the search for the missing employees and supporting the injured and the families of the missing and deceased colleagues. Initial inspection and assessment of the site started on the first morning while technical teams were planning and organizing the start of work with Safety as the primary objective. The critical tasks were risk mitigation, restoring power and information technology and releasing the vessel that was under the cranes at the time of the blast. Personal Protection Equipment was upgraded because of the dust and debris, reefer containers were moved to temporary power supply as main supply was disrupted, and containers containing hazardous materials were surveyed for possible leaks as a result of the blast. A special thanks is to be given to the Lebanese Army for their round the clock work in securing and clearing the port and their management of the Hazardous cargo, for which we also extend thanks to the EU for their support on this matter. In the search efforts, no stone was left unturned while coordinating closely with the Lebanese Army and security agencies as well as the local rescue services from civil defense, red-cross and fire brigade. Foreign rescue services later joined in the search where we sought the assistance of the UK team from SAR AID. We are immensely grateful for the efforts of the United Kingdom and to all who participated in this humanitarian effort. In the meantime, dedicated HR personnel were visiting and checking the family of the deceased and the missing colleagues as well as the injured at the hospitals and home to assist and support them. The explosion destroyed our warehouse of spare parts and our maintenance workshop. In regards to equipment, the damages were mainly on the rolling equipment. Equipment that was put back into operation underwent full re-commissioning in coordination with the equipment manufacturers. This included inspection and functional testing, repairs, and a 6hr endurance testing for Cranes (replicating operation using dummy loads). This was a minimum of 3 days effort per crane. These were the immediate measures to allow resumption of terminal operations, however, a prudent measure was adopted to operate the cranes at 50% of their lifting capacity until further inspections are carried out by the manufacturer. In a record time of just three days the terminal resumed operations to complete the moves on the vessel on berth to allow it to sail. Normal port operations were resumed on August 10. These exceptional efforts in mobilization of the workforce as well as testing, inspection, and repair of equipment demonstrated the dedication, resilience and commitment of the team. This was all done while caring for the human needs of everyone affected by the blast. The Terminal is now running at 50% capacity, both in terms of volume and maximum lifting capacity of the ship-to-shore gantry cranes that are keys to the operation. Currently, there is an urgent need for foreign sourced spare parts and technical services for equipment inspections in order to return equipment to full capacity. However, this is being hampered by the restrictions on foreign transfers. &nbsp; &nbsp; 3- On 18 December 2020, a delegation chaired by the Director general of the CCIB, Rabih Sabra, visited the Beirut Terminal Container Operator at the Port of Beirut to explore and expand their understanding of the activities and seek areas of potential collaboration for vocational training and employability for the youth, especially the NEET and women, as part of the YEP MED Project. Can you describe us this visit&rsquo;s insights and its importance? &nbsp; BCTC was excited to host CCIB to explore areas of collaboration, training and development of the Lebanese youth. Being introduced to the CCIB team and seeing their genuine interest in our operations and engagement were truly heartfelt for us. Indeed, it is reassuring that the CCIB is leading in such a positive and professional manner with clear commitment to the economy and social development as witnessed through the YEP MED project. The organization&rsquo;s structure, management system, operations and services at the Container Terminal were presented in detail covering the following topics: 1. Health and Safety Safety Comes First 2. Human Resources Core values: Justice, Care and Hope 3. Planning Optimization of the Yard and Vessel Operations 4. Operations Three pillars: Safety, Quality and Efficiency 5. Customer Service Customer Centricity 6. Information Technology Secure, Effective and Compliant Solutions 7. Asset Management Keeping Equipment Well Maintained &nbsp; A site tour to the facilities was organized to introduce the operational activities covering: &bull; The Planning and Operations Control room &bull; The Yard and Quay side including visiting the control cabin of one of the Ship-to-Shore cranes &bull; The Maintenance Workshop and Spare Parts Warehouse &nbsp; BCTC Training Programs were also presented. The in-house trainers were introduced to share their journey at BCTC where they were trained by foreign experts, before undergoing special train-the-trainer intensive program to become certified trainers and train all the operators, at all levels, in Lebanon and abroad. &nbsp;We are a &lsquo;&rsquo;specialty&rsquo;&rsquo; industry that is not easily accessible to the public by nature given the access restrictions at the port. The visit was therefore essential to gain a thorough understanding of the operation, its role in the port industry and how it can contribute to the YEP MED project especially after having the opportunity to interact with the workforce first hand. &nbsp; &nbsp; 4- What can you tell our readers about the BCTC upcoming collaboration with the CCIB within the YEP MED project? &nbsp; We are extremely pleased to be selected to contribute to such an initiative for the development of the youth, NEET and women, and we are confident we can achieve it successfully. Our team members are knowledgeable and experienced as they have participated in essentially similar tasks locally and abroad. We are eager to put all our available resources at the disposal of CCIB to ensure the success of the YEP MED project and any similar social development projects. Collaboration during the current crisis is critical for the economy and society, especially the improvement in the employability rate, the development of the vocational schools and training centers, as well as the new skills learning opportunities for the youth and women. We are certainly looking forward to the collaboration with CCIB on projects that would not only benefit the Ports industry but also the Economy of Lebanon. We are also prepared to offer apprenticeships in the different operational departments as well as potential hiring later on. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 5- How will this collaboration be implemented on the ground? &nbsp; The provided training will be in-house and on-the-job. The vocational training stages are: Pre- Assessment, Training Mapping, Suitable Training Programs, Assessment. BCTC Training Programs are a combination of theory and practical tuition and include: 1. Container Terminal Technical Training a) Equipment Operators b) Operations Management Planning, Supervision, and Control, c) Asset Management Planning, Repair and Maintenance, d) Health and Safety 2. 2. Skills and Competencies Training a) Behavioural Skills b) Computer Literacy and Languages &nbsp; We train the apprenticeship in each of the selected roles and can tailor the training programs as required depending on the skills and capabilities of the apprentices as well as accommodating new roles. Close follow-up and evaluation will be carried out to ensure the successful transfer of knowledge to the new apprentices. &nbsp; &nbsp; 6- What are your expectations about the YEP MED project input for Lebanon, for Beirut&rsquo;s Port and especially the Youth? &nbsp; We are confident that the YEP MED project will have a positive impact acting as a catalyst for development and empowerment. It will provide the Lebanese youth with new career possibilities and will equip them with the needed knowledge, skills and abilities to perform and excel at their job duties and tasks. The industry will benefit from essentially an upgrade in the skills and competencies of available candidates. This can only impact positively on work standards. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Interview with Mr Ziad Kanaan

<h2 align="center" dir="RTL">بلاغ للمنتسبين الكرام</h2> أوضح رئيس مجلس إدارة غرفة التجارة والصناعة والزراعة في بيروت وجبل لبنان محمد شقير ، وبعد أن راجعته مؤسسات عدة حول غرامات تفرض عليها من قبل الصندوق الوطني للضمان الإجتماعي، ان غرفة التجارة والصناعة والزراعة في بيروت وجبل لبنان يهمها أن يعمد المنتسبون إلى تسديد موجباتهم نحو الصندوق الوطني للضمان الإجتماعي وذلك قبل 21 أب 2021 والإستفادة من التخفيضات والإعفاءات من الغرامات &nbsp;التي منحتها القوانين ، &nbsp; أما المؤسسات، التي فرض عليها الصندوق الوطني للضمان الإجتماعي دفع زيادات تأخير او غرامات او فوائد غير مخفضة، في خلال الفترة المشمولة بالتخفيض والتي لا تزال سارية حتى 21 آب 2021، فيعود لها الحق &nbsp;باسترداد المبالغ المدفوعة دون وجه حق، وذلك سنداً لاحكام المادة 73 الفقرة 4 البند ج من قانون الضمان الاجتماعي، &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; فبموجب أحكام المادة 37 من القانون رقم 144 تاريخ 31 تموز 2009&nbsp; (قانون موازنة العام 2019) ، تم تخفيض الغرامات وزيادات التأخير المتوجبة على اشتراكات الصندوق الوطني للضمان الاجتماعي بنسبة 100%&nbsp; عن الاعوام 2000 وما قبل ، وبنسبة 85?&nbsp; بالنسبة لبقية الاعوام على أن تسدد هذه الإشتراكات أو يطلب تقسيطها ضمن مهلة تنتهي في 31 كانون الاول 2019 ،&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; تم تمديد هذه المهل تباعاً وكان آخرها بموجب القانون رقم 199 تاريخ 29 كانون الاول 2020 ، والذي وبموجب &nbsp;أحكام المادة الثانية منه &nbsp;تم تمديد المهل المنصوص عليها في المادة الثانية والعشرين من قانون موازنة العام 2020 لمدة ستة أشهر من تاريخ انتهاء مهلة التمديد المنصوص عليها في القانون رقم 185/2020، كما تم تمديد مهلة تخفيض الغرامات وزيادات التأخير والفوائد المترتبة على متأخرات الصندوق الوطني للضمان الاجتماعي والواردة في المادة 23 من قانون موازنة العام 2020، والممددة بموجب القانون رقم 185/2020 أي لمدة تنتهي في 27 آب 2021، كما نصت في المادة الرابعة من القانون 199 على أن : &quot; تسدد كافة الأقساط والدفعات المالية التي علقت خلال فترة تمديد المهل سواء للمصارف أو للصندوق الوطني للضمان الاجتماعي أو وزارة المالية أو أي إدارة رسمية ضمن جدولة &nbsp;جديدة تتراوح بين سنة وثلاث سنوات. &quot; وإننا إذ نأمل من المؤسسات التعاون للمحافظة على حقوق الشريك الآخر في الإنتاج والسلم الإجتماعي. &nbsp;

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بلاغ للمنتسبين الكرام

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