The work of the multilateral national workshop dedicated to Lebanon was launched in Beirut on the 30 and the 31 of March 2022 within the framework of the second phase of the “SOLiD project: Promoting Social Dialogue in the Southern Mediterranean countries”.

The conference brings together representatives of the European Union, international organizations, employers, trade unions, civil society organizations and local authorities to discuss ways to establish and strengthen social dialogue in the region, by strengthening formal structures that allow the implementation of agreements and labour rights.

The speakers stressed the importance of establishing a social dialogue between the concerned parties in Lebanon, which constitutes a prerequisite for overcoming the economic and political challenges.

The project partners called for the rapid implementation of the SOLiD Charter for Social Dialogue that will bring together the social parties in Lebanon in a space for dialogue and search for solutions to social and economic challenges: the proposed solutions make up a shared and conscious commitment and a resolute advocate for social dialogue in Lebanon and throughout the southern Mediterranean.

During the opening session, Mr Rein Nieland, Head of Cooperation of the EU delegation in Lebanon, confirmed that the world was affected by the Ukrainian crisis, as well as by the Corona pandemic, and that Lebanon suffers from major economic problems, especially after the explosion of Beirut, and a European plan has been developed to launch reforms in Lebanon, showing that the goal of the plan is to work with civil society in all the crucial decisions that are taken in the country.

The representative of the International Labor Organization, Igor Bosc, confirmed that there is a great change taking place in the world, and the importance of social dialogue today is to adapt to the changes taking place, pointing out that a country like Lebanon depends on exports, and today there is a local production that enhances the ability to survive, and the Lebanese are producing new materials, and work must be done on workers’ rights.

The director of the SOLiD project, Mr Mustafa Tlili, stressed in his speech that the importance of the SOLiD project lies in the fact that it includes great challenges and aspires to give social actors, including civil society organizations and municipal managers in the southern Mediterranean countries, the idea about Social and economic conditions and come up with recommendations that allow creating new policies in their countries.

For her part, BUSINESSMED General Director Mrs Jihen Boutiba said that the first phase of the SOLiD project took years before they could persuade governments to sign the charter. She also stressed that the goal is to agree on the recommendations that will be submitted to the new governments after these dialogues.

Working groups led by social and economic experts examined macroeconomic policies and current economic issues in Lebanon, focusing on financial tools, labour market revitalization policies, and economic rescue plan.