BEIRUT: A new think tank started by leading political analyst and economist Sami Nader is hoping to break the mold and tackle social issues that Lebanese people are most concerned about. The Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs “is an initiative that is trying to feed a need,” Nader, LISA’s director, told The Daily Star.
According to Nader, most think tanks are driven by politics but he wants LISA to drive debate in three areas: democracy, development and diversity. The institute is also aimed at solving the issues that citizens identify as the most pressing, he added.
In order to achieve this goal, the institute began by partnering up with Lebanon Statistics to identify what Lebanese people viewed as the main problems in the country, and LISA used this survey to identify which topic they would address first.
The results of the survey showed that – as expected – the economy and security are of most concern to people in Lebanon. While the security situation as a whole and extremist groups such as ISIS and the Nusra Front were identified as concerns, unemployment was ranked as the top concern for people in Lebanon. For that reason, unemployment was chosen as the first topic that LISA would address.
Unemployment in Lebanon currently stands at 24 percent and youth unemployment is even higher at 35 percent. The job market has been further strained by the influx of over a million Syrian refugees fleeing the civil war in their country, as they now constitute a fifth of the population in Lebanon.
LISA approached the issue by hosting a panel discussion Thursday at the Monroe Hotel in Downtown Beirut, which included a wide range of concerned actors, including representatives from the World Bank and former Economy Minister Nicholas Nahas.
The two-hour panel discussion included several presentations and sparked discussions on the different factors effecting unemployment and some of the jarring figures that illustrate the problem. For instance, Dr. Fouad Zmokhol, president of the Lebanese Businessmen Association, said that Lebanon only creates 3,500 jobs per year, dramatically below the 25,000 jobs required in the work force.
Nader said that this exchange of ideas is exactly what the institute was hoping to spark.
“This can open the way for real reform,” he said.
While several representatives from different parties were present, the wide range of participants notably lacked decision-makers from departments that influence unemployment. Nader said this was intentional to allow for more open discourse.
“[Our aim] is to influence the decision-makers through opening debate and discussions,” Nader added.
Nader added that LISA would be hosting discussions periodically throughout the year. Future issues that they are planning to discuss include the Syrian refugee crisis, oil and gas, strategies for growth, women’s roles, rights and employment and diversity in Lebanon.
Nader hopes that the institute will also be able to provide a media platform for lesser known researchers and analysts to get their views heard.
If funding is forthcoming they also hope to produce policy papers, Nader added.
No comments:
Post a Comment