Region:Asia Pacific
Current UN Women Plan Period Afghanisthan:2018-2022
World Bank Income Classification:Low Income
The World Bank classifies economies for analytical purposes into four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high income. For this purpose it uses gross national income (GNI) per capita data in U.S. dollars, converted from local currency using the World Bank Atlas method, which is applied to smooth exchange rate fluctuations.
Least Developed Country:Yes
Since 1971, the United Nations has recognized LDCs as a category of States that are deemed highly disadvantaged in their development process, for structural, historical and also geographical reasons. Three criteria are used: per capita income, human assets, and economic vulnerability.
Gender Inequality Index:0.575
GII is a composite metric of gender inequality using three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market. A low GII value indicates low inequality between women and men, and vice-versa.
Gender Development Index:0.723
GDI measures gender inequalities in achievement in three basic dimensions of human development: health, education, and command over economic resources.
Population:209,497,025
Source of population data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision
Male:19,976,265 (9.5%)
Female:189,520,760 (90.5%)
outcome XM-DAC-41146-LBN_D_1.1
Enhanced protection for the most vulnerable.
UN Women progressed towards the goal of enhancing protection for the most vulnerable by strengthening political and civil society actors’ ability to advocate for gender equality and women’s empowerment, promoting gender mainstreaming in Lebanon’s national social protection programme, and increasing women and girls’ protection from gender-based violence, and providing channels to report violence against women in the public sphere. Reform of Lebanon’s legal and policy frameworks: UN Women supported Lebanon’s legal and policy frameworks to be more gender responsive by supporting civil society organizations and movements that advocate for gender equality and women’s empowerment, enhancing women’s political participation, and improving gender-responsiveness of national protection programmes. Despite challenges related to the political stalemate in the country, The Feminist Platform, a platform of civil society organizations and activists, enhanced its internal governance and visibility by issuing 11 statements and revising its internal strategy and structure with technical support from UN Women. In December 2023, ten MPs signed on a draft municipal elections law to institute a gender quota. Contributing to this, UN Women, UNDP and UNSCOL continued advocacy efforts for Temporary Special Measures (TSM) and a gender quota, at the level of the Parliament, municipal councils and in political parties. The Ministry of Social Affairs now also has the tools to improve the gender responsiveness and inclusivity of their national social protection programme through the recommendations that UN Women provided to update and gender-mainstream their standard operating procedures. Increasing women and girls’ protection from gender-based violence: In 2023, over 3,368 women throughout Lebanon accessed services to prevent and protect women from gender-based violence (GBV) through UN Women’s programming. The breakdown is as follows: A total of 431 survivors and women at-risk of GBV accessed case management services from UN Women’s protection partners Kafa and the Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering (RDFL). Women received tailored support including psychological therapy (96), legal advice (151), medical forensic reports (37), and protection in shelter (11). An additional 1,605 women increased their knowledge on GBV, PSEA and how to access services when in need through outreach and awareness activities conducted by UN Women’s protection partners. Of these women, 693 are participants in UN Women livelihood programmes. UN Women facilitated this by arranging for its protection partners to work with livelihoods partners to deliver this training to livelihood participants. This was arranged in recognition of the need for comprehensive support to women facing vulnerability, and an example of how UN Women links and networks local organizations working in different sectors with GBV prevention and protection actors. Establishing new channels to report violence against women in the public sphere: Separately, women who face violence in the public sphere are now able to access channels to report violence against women in politics (VAWP) quickly and discreetly through an online application and a hotline managed by partners Kafa and Maharat, through the support of UN Women. The “Nafas” application, which is a mobile-based application managed by Kafa that enables women to report and seek support in case of GBV, will be disseminated through a network of civil society organizations as part of an effort to coordinate and streamline referral channels. The Maharat hotline enables women to report incidents of online violence and threats of violence against women in the public sphere. The information on the prevalence of VAWP, once available, will be leveraged by UN Women to advocate for prevention of VAWP and call for greater accountability.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-LBN_D_2.1
Strengthened diversified income opportunities to promote social and economic inclusion
UN Women is on track to meet its targets to strengthening diversified and inclusive income opportunities for women throughout Lebanon by providing access to short-term cash-for-work opportunities where participant women earn income, gain skills, and acquire work experience to increase their confidence and skills required for women to access employment and entrepreneurship. Nine hundred and sixty-six (966) women throughout Lebanon and from diverse nationalities (510 Lebanese, 306, Syrian, 130 PRL, 20 PRS and 10 other) earned income through diversified, short-term, cash-for-work opportunities at a time of unprecedented economic crisis, helping women to meet their immediate, basic needs. Women engaged in community kitchen management in various roles, menstrual pad production and sales, carpentry, and community work. Women further built their confidence as a result of these work opportunities. The women further contributed to the provision of assistance to vulnerable households and individuals through their work, distributing over 140,000 meals to over 7,000 individuals, 408,960 pads to over 6,800 women and girls, and raising the awareness on gender-based violence of 1,600 women. Of the 966 women, 159 were women with disabilities. Seventy-nine were employed at Access Kitchen, the first purpose-designed, accessible community kitchen run by partner Lebanese Union of Persons with Physical Disabilities in Beirut. The participants engaged in various roles tailored to their capabilities, ranging from stock keeping, food preparation, to financial accounting. Women with disabilities experience significant discrimination, challenges to social and physical accessibility, and limited government assistance in Lebanon. Their participation in cash-for-work not only provided work opportunities for women with disabilities, but provided an opportunity for communities to recognize the abilities and roles that women with disabilities can play in society and the economy.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-LBN_D_3.1
Strengthened inclusive social contract grounded in human rights and justice to enhance good governance, effective and accountable institutions, and women's participation.
During 2023, UN women contributed to strengthening good governance, effective and accountable institutions, and women's participation. The main results included: Over 858 women increased their capacity to run for elections and two state institutions, the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) and Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), scaled up efforts to advance the Lebanon National Action Plan (NAP) on Women Peace and Security (WPS). Over 858 women increased their knowledge on how to run for municipal elections. Under the WPP programme over 600 women from 26 districts strengthened their capacities on how to run campaigns and build constituencies at the community level with UN Women support, 64% of which report increased their knowledge. In addition, through the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) 258 women increased their knowledge to run the municipal election of those 95% reported an increase in their knowledge on Governance, Municipal laws, Advocacy, campaigning, developing electoral programs. The targeted women demonstrated acquiring skills on the above-mentioned topics through forming 17 women committees, designing, planning and leading community event based on their assessment. NCLW adopted an evidence-based, inclusive approach to monitoring and evaluating the progress of the Lebanon NAP. To achieve this, NCLW conducted a desk-review to assess the achievements, challenges and learning from the implementation of the first NAP and to inform and advocate for the development of a second-generation NAP (2024-2028). In addition, NCLW established an online monitoring and reporting system using Activity Info to make data on the progress of the NAP accessible in a timely and a systematic manner and capture efforts by all actors. More than sixty (60) actors including UN agencies, unions, political parties, civil society organizations and up to forty (40) state entities contributed to reporting through this online system on their efforts to advance the NAP and the WPS agenda. LAF increased its commitment to gender equality and women’s rights. Commanders and officers of LAF have a framework to achieve gender-responsiveness and realize meaningful participation of women in the security sector and in peace operations, as a result of the LAF Gender Mainstreaming Strategy (GMS). The LAF Gender Department finalized the GMS and action plan, aligned with the Lebanon NAP for UNSCR 1325, which was endorsed by the Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces in January 2024. In the development of the strategy, the LAF was supported by the LAF Gender Working Group, in which UN Women is an active member. Further to the above, the Lebanon CO provided substantive inputs on the situation of women’s rights in Lebanon to the Universal Periodic Review mid-term review for Lebanon as part of OHCHR compilation of credible information.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-LBN_D_3.2
Strengthened security, stability, justice, and social peace.
In 2023, progress was made towards strengthening security, stability, justice and social peace. Achievements included 1) more than 3900 targeted individuals (3318 adult women, 143 men, 511 individuals of diverse SOGIESC, and 5 girls) across Lebanon increasing in their capacities and knowledge to participate in peacebuilding efforts across the country through the efforts of 24 women-led grassroot civil society organization supported by the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF); 2) 306 women across 20 women peacebuilding and mediation groups reaffirmed their commitments to promoting sustainable peace; and 3) 25 senior women from Traditional Political Parties (TPP) and Emerging Political Movements (EPM) engaged in a dialogue process. A total of 306 women across 20 women peacebuilding and mediation groups reaffirmed their commitments to promoting sustainable peace and human security through leading inclusive political dialogue processes and reconciliation and mediation processes at the national and subnational levels through UN Women’s support. These women reported changes in their personal views and levels of trust and understanding with women from different backgrounds because of their engagement in peacebuilding processes. In addition, at the national level, 25 senior women from Traditional Political Parties (TPP) and Emerging Political Movements (EPM) engaged in a dialogue process characterized as an informal, inclusive, safe space for women political actors oriented towards a “stable and reconciled Lebanon” (vision set by the women political actors). The dialogue process is a) political dialogue table where women political actors meet with key policy stakeholders to discuss and shape policies relates to peace and security that is relevant towards a stable and reconciled Lebanon; and b) a knowledge and skills space, which offers women political actors the possibility to increase their knowledge on issues discussed at the dialogue table related to civil peace and security in addition to relevant skills, such as negotiation Through the WPHF, 24 women-led grassroot civil society organization working on women participation and peacebuilding enhanced their role in advocating for and ensuring accountability on Women Peace and Security commitments. More than 3900 targeted individuals (3318 adult women, 143 men, 511 individuals of diverse SOGIESC, and 5 girls) across Lebanon witnessed an increase in their capacities and knowledge to participate in peacebuilding efforts across the country. As a result. these women created 17 committees in South Lebanon and west Bekaa to implement initiatives responding to the needs of their communities, three clubs promoting debate as a medium to resolve conflicts and conducting peacebuilding initiatives and one safe space that served as medium for people of diverse SOGIESC to participate and include their voices in the national discourse of peacebuilding, stability and security. Furthermore, Syrian and Lebanese women created and performed original theatre plays focusing on women role in justice, social cohesion, and social peace.Showing 1 - 4 of 4
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The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).
References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).
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