Beirut Arab University – Tripoli branch hosted the "Lebanese-French Immigration" conference, entitled "Yes We Can", for the second consecutive year, by the initiative of the Lebanese-French Businessmen in France (HALFA), in partnership with the university, Chamber of Commerce Industry & Agriculture of Tripoli (CCIAT), and Australian New Zealand Lebanese Chamber of Commerce Int. Melbourne (ANLCCI), Lebanese Executives Council in KSA (LEC)and Union of Arab Chambers (UAC).
The objective of the Conference is to achieve sustainable development in Lebanon in general and Tripoli in particular, and to revitalize the economic movement in the labor market by overcoming the difficulties and obstacles faced by Lebanese youth.
The conference consisted of six interactive sessions, the first discussed the reality of Lebanon's labor market and its economic impact. While the second session dealt with the aspirations of Lebanon's private sector, in addition to the supply and demand in the labor market and its impact on the Lebanese economy. In the third session, job opportunities abroad and the challenges and opportunities for Lebanese graduates were discussed. The fourth session was about women's contribution to the Lebanese economy while the fifth session discussed how to build a sustainable future for young entrepreneurs and start-ups. The sixth and last session, discussed the role of universities in curriculum development and economic development.
After the Lebanese national anthem and the university’s anthem, and after a welcome speech from Ms. Shrine Kassab from the Public Relations Department in Tripoli, President of Beirut Arab University, Professor Wael Nabil Abdel Salam, talked about this bold event in the circumstances surrounding us, bearing great importance at all levels and supporting young people in the search for jobs."
"Lebanon is suffering from an economic crisis, and conferences remain an opportunity for dialogue with investors, and the goal is to create jobs for young people, expand the cycle of exports and support the economy in general."
He also added that "the conference enhances interaction with migrants having experiences and skills in promoting the role of women and supporting their role in the labor market, and also contributes to enhancing Tripoli's position to empower young people in building a promising future."
While the Acting Governor of the Banque du Liban, Wassim Mansouri, explained that "Banque du Liban seeks to control the cash bloc and has controlled trading in the Lebanese pound, warning that Lebanon faces a serious depletion of resources."
Mansouri noted that "despite the crises that are afflicting us, Lebanese youth continue to have the experience to succeed wherever they may be".
The President of the Chamber of Commerce Industry & Agriculture of Tripoli, Toufic Daboussi, then the President of the Lebanese-French Businessmen in France, Antoine Mnassah, and the Chairman of the Lebanese Executive Council, Rabih Al Amin, then stressed the need to invest and work on projects that serve national investment, economic recovery and serving youth in achieving job opportunities.
At the end, the conference issued recommendations that call for the activation and expansion of the online platform currently available to link Lebanese graduates with the local and external labour market. The platform includes:
1- Prepare graduates and help them to get job opportunities that are available locally and internationally.
2- Providing training for students and graduates through this platform, which includes all the websites that help Lebanese find jobs.
3- Establishing a lobbying committee that consist from immigration authorities and current residents to enable the business-incubating environment to develop infrastructure for economic areas, such as the Rashid Karami International Fair.
4- Encourage Lebanese youth to acquire behavioural, cognitive and technical models that complement higher education.
Additionally, a committee was formed to follow up the recommendations, with emphasis on holding seminars and conferences to achieve the Conference's objectives.
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