The Special Tribunal for Lebanon is only one of numerous examples for the defense and enforcement of Human Rights through international law. In a high ranking seminar the Human Rights Institute of the Beirut Bar Association together with the Union Internationale des avocats (UIA) and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung managed to gather some prominent international speakers with distinct expertise in Beirut.

In the two days seminar the experts shared their views and experience with an interested audience bringing successfully the international debate to Lebanese practitioner. Legal background form a European perspective was also explained as was the Anglo-Saxon tradition to organize a trial. However, also controversial aspects were tackled and different ways traditions to approach legal questions were put up. Also the political dimension to each and every of these legal questions was discussed openly. In the end ideas on how to go on and how to retain progress achieved made very clear that there is still a long way to go. However, as was shown in these very intense two days – progress is possible and is worth fighting for. 

The Human Rights Institute of the Beirut Bar Association organized on April 19 and 20 with the support Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon a training on the Conduct of International criminal proceedings. This was done already for the fourth time.

This time, the participants were among others also welcomed by the president of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Judge Ivana Hrdličková. The training was attended by thirty lawyers and moderated by Judge Keith Raynor, Judge of the Crown Court of England and Wales and Vice-President of Kosovo Specialist Chambers and by Mr. Jonas Nilssen, Senior Legal Officer at the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia.

On the first day, the two trainers developed the international criminal procedures and the defense procedures before the international criminal tribunals as well as the techniques adopted by them. On the second day, the lawyers participated in mock trials and divided into groups that played the roles of indictment and defense. Some of them also played the roles of defendants, victims and witnesses.

We hope that all the participants did gain a better insight into the topic at hand and are intrigued to get involved also on an international level. 

Together with our partners from Naharashabab we are proud that we were able to start for the fourth consecutive time a new generation for our Lebanese Young Leaders of Tomorrow (LYLOT) programme. Around 70 candidates came to the selection conference trying to snatch one of the 30 places for the two years programme.

In two and a half days all of them got brief training sessions in skills such as argumentation and conflict management but the main focus was laid on how the candidates themselves were presenting themselves. In different settings they discussed topics of today’s political reality and had the opportunities to present their own views and ideas.

In the end the jury had a rather hard job to do by selecting the to-be LYLOTies. However, even for those who were not chosen the two and a half days up in Harissa hopefully were an opportunity to make new friends and widen their horizon. For all the others – welcome to LYLOT IV!

IndustriALL Global Union and FES Lebanon invited for the fourth time affiliates working in the field of oil and gas exploration from the Middle East and North Africa to meet in Beirut, Lebanon, in order to strengthen their networks, exchange news and views and coordinate their campaigns. They were joined by comrades from IndustriAll, Norway and Germany.

Using global framework agreements to defend workers' rights the union network discussed several issues at hand and had also the chance to raise topics of concern to representatives from multinational energy companies Total and ENI which attended the meeting and pledged to address workers' concerns.

Since this was already the fourth meeting of its kind the participants spend also some time on updating each other on events since the last meeting. The FES office Beirut organizes these regional events together with our partners from IndustriALL in order to enable workers in the sector to share their experiences and expertise with the view to develop strategies for a better future. This time participants from Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, Yemen, Egypt, Algeria, Bahrain, Morocco, Tunisia and, of course, Lebanon took part in the meeting turning it into a strong statement regional commitment.