| Back to Top of page |
|
Foundation:
The Lebanese Economic Forum was founded in 1991 in accordance with the Law of Associations dated August 30,1909.
Obiectives:
The Lebanese Economic Forum is a private non-profit organization founded with a conviction of the need for a concerted and equitable development of the national economy based on the principle of promoting and protecting private initiative in an effort to develop work opportunities and provide safeguards for Lebanese manpower which would help limit its immigration and enable it play a constructive role within the framework of a liberal economy,
In accordance with the principles cited above, the “ FORUM “ has set for itself the
following major objectives:
l- Active participation in all decisions related to social and economic
Development;
2- Safeguarding and developing a liberal Lebanese economic system based on
private initiative;
3- Developing and protecting the Lebanese economic potential internally and
developing and maintaining continuous economic relations with businessmen
of Lebanese origin abroad with a view of soliciting their assistance in opening
new and permanent markets for Lebanese products and encouraging them to
invest in new projects in Lebanon;
4- Organizing special economic committees to promote relations with the Arab
countries and the European Union with the prime objective of opening new
outlets for Lebanese products and make best use of technical assistance
opportunities. |
|
| Back to Top of page |
|
Organization
The General Assemblv
The General Assembly is the highest authority in the Forum. The General Assembly is composed of all duly registered members.
The Administrative Committee ( Board of Directors )
The Administrative Committee is the executive organ of the Forum and is composed of 12 members elected by the General Assembly for a term of two years
The Administrative Committee of the Forum, instigated by its wish to develop its activities on objective and scientific bases and to benefit from the experiences of its highly qualifted members, has recently organized 12 specialized committees to assist the Administrative Committee in policy formulation and executive programmers.
These Committees are the following:
The Trade Committee
The Services Committee
The Finance Committee
The Industrial Committee
The Information Committee
The Studies and Research
The Membership Committee
The Agriculture Committee
The Social Affairs Committee
The Public Relations Committee
The Conferences and Seminars Committee
The External Economic Relations Committee |
|
| Back to Top of page |
|
Maior Activities of the Forum
The Forum operates of three levels simultaneously; the local or national level, the regional and international levels.
Activities on the National Level:
After the cessation of hostilities and the restoring of peace and tranquillity in the country, the Forum concentrated its efforts on the national level on assisting in dealing with the economic consequences of the civil war and in providing the necessary safeguards for the government’s policy of development and reconstruction.
Within this framework, the Forum undertakes, inter alia, the following activities;
l- Organizing workshops with the various government departments;
2- Organizing workshops among the members of the Forum and between them and the various ministers concerned with economic affairs, especially finance customs, transport, etc.
3- review of all legislation dealing with economic and social affairs andpreparing specialized studies and reports where and when necessary and following up the Forum’s proposals with all the parties concerned;
4- Coordinating its efforts with sister economic organizations in the country.
On the Regional Level
The Forum works incessantly to further strengthen economic ties with the Arabcountries. Following are some of the major steps undertaken in this regards:
l- Signing of a Cooperation Protocol with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Muscat, Oman; Refer to “ DOCUMENTS “ for text of protocol.
2- Starting work on the organization of Lebanese Economic “ Weeks “ in some Arab countries, viz; in Bahrain and in Cairo;
3- The Forum joined the Federation of Arab Businessmen as of January 1rst 1999 and is represented on the Board of Directors by the President Mr. Wajih Bizri and the Chairman of the Public Relations Committee Mr. Rafic Zantout. The
Forum Participated in the 2nd conference held in Luxur, April 1998, the 3rd
held in Morocco 1999 and the 4th held in Kuwait, May 2000.
4- The Forum hosted a high-ranking delegation from C.I.E.M. (Center for Internationalization of Enterprises and the Promotion of SME'S in the Euro-Mediterranean Area. A corporation Agreement was signed between CIEM and
the Forum (Refer to “Documents“ for text of the Agreement.)
5- The Forum took active part in the conference held by CIEM in Palermo in May 2000.
Future Activities:
l- A Sicilian businessmen delegation sponsored by CIEM and the Forum willvisit Lebanon in September 2000. The Forum in the industrial and Tourismsectors has prepared several joint venture projects. These projects will formthe core of the discussions between the Sicilian Delegation and Lebanesebusinessmen.
2- Upon the invitation of the Forum, the FIFTH FORUM OF ARAB BUSINESSMEN will be held in Beirut 27 - 28 March 2000. The Forum will be under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic. The Forum will was preceded by meeting of the Board of Directors of the Federation to be held in Beirut on September 25,2000. The Board met with both the President of the republic and the Prime Minister who gave full support of the Mooch Forum. (Please refer to the Documents section for the final report of the Board.)
On the International Level
The Forum maintains close cooperation with international organizations either directly or through the UNDP office in Lebanon. In this context, the Forum undertook the following major activities:
l- Participation in the International Investment Forum for Zanzibar, organized by
the UNIDO in 1997.
2- Participation in the International Investment Forum for Tanzania organized by
the UNIDO in 1997.
3- The Forum took the initiative in the organization of the InternationalInvestment Forum for Lebanon in coordination with IDAL (Investment Development Authority for Lebanon) and the UNIDO, which was held in Beirut in February 1997. |
|
News
