Achievements and Implementation Mechanisms

• In the Legal Field
The Lebanese Women’s Council succeeded in achieving:
1953 – The right of Lebanese women to vote and run for parliamentary elections.
1959 – Equality of inheritance between men and women within the Christian sects.
1960 – The right of women to chose their nationality after marriage.
1974 – The right of women to travel without prior permission from husband or guardian.
1983 - Abrogation of provisions penalizing birth control measures.
1987 – Consolidation of retirement age for men and women in the social security law.
1993 – Recognition of women’s competence to testify with regard to the Land Register.
1994 - Recognition of married women’s competence to engage in trade without their husband’s permission.
1994 – The right of a female employee in the diplomatic corps who marries a non-Lebanese to maintain her job.
1995 - Eligibility of married women regarding life insurance policies.
1996 - Lebanon’s ratification of “The International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women” (CEDAW), with reservations on Articles 9, 16 and 21.
1999 - Amendment of Article 562 of the Penal Code related to the crime of honor by abrogating exonerating circumstances and keeping extenuating circumstances.
2000 - Amendment of the following articles of Labor Law Number 207:
 Article 26: Prohibiting employer’s discrimination between male and female employees.
 Article 28: Affirming working women’s right for seven weeks maternity leave.
 Article 29: Payment of full wages to women during maternity leave, and the prohibition of dismissing or sending them a warning during the period of confinement.
 Article 52: Prohibiting sending warnings to pregnant working women.
2001 - Equality of all insured people with regard to all provisions offered by the private sector.
2001 - Issuance of Law No. 343 regarding equality between female and male worker:
• The system of retirement and dismissal from service.
• Benefiting from the provisions of the “Government Employees Cooperative” stipulated in the benefits and services regulations and in the education grant system, for her and her family members including her husband and her children, whether she receives or does not receive family allowance on their behalf, as well as those who are in her custody.
•  The right of a Lebanese woman who is married to non-Lebanese to benefit on behalf of her husband and children from the provisions offered by the “Government Employees Cooperative” in  the absence of such benefits from another source.
2002 -  Amendment of certain provisions of Article No. 14 of the Social Security Law as follows:
-The meaning of “insured” applies to the “male and female insured equally and without discrimination”.
-The provisions that the insured woman benefit from are legal claims for her and her children.
2003 -   Amendment of Articles 625, 626, 627 and 628 of the Commerce Law, abrogating discrimination against women to engage in trading.

In the Development Field

• Develop action plans for the advancement and empowering of Lebanese women at all levels.
• Cooperation with public and private institutions, regional and international organizations and local communities interested in women’s issues.
• Develop effective mechanisms to serve the issues of women in the villages and towns of Lebanon.
• Design and implementation of campaigns, programs and workshops for training and rehabilitation of women and girls in various fields.
• Propagation of the objectives and activities of the associations affiliated with the Lebanese Women’s Council.
• Establishing bibliographic information about Lebanese women since 1972.
• Assisting NGOs and civil society organizations in book-keeping according to rules and regulations applied on the local and international levels (PENTA 1-2).
• Holding various exhibitions: cultural, craftsmanship, nutrition, art.
• Organizing popular movements and civil protests and campaigns to support women’s demands.
• Organize and participate in the implementation of contingency plans for relief and support of groups affected by disasters, and whenever needed.
• Honor prominent and generous women figures in the social national field, and citizens who struggle to raise the level of the Lebanese society and contribute to its progress.
• Cooperation with the media - written, visual and audio - to convey messages to the Lebanese public.
• Organize and participate in conferences, forums, meetings, lectures and international, regional and local symposia.

The Most Important Conferences Held Inside and Outside Lebanon

1973 – Organizing a regional conference on “Women in Arab Legislation”, Beirut.
1975 - World Conference on International Women’s Year, Mexico.
1980 -  Copenhagen Conference: “Adoption of United Nations Resolutions on Women” pertaining to “Equality, Development and Peace”.
1985 -  Nairobi Conference on expected action strategies for the advancement of women: “Equality, Development and Peace”.
1991 -  Organizing the preparatory conference for “The Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing” – Beirut Declaration.
1992 - “First Mediterranean Conference on Women” held in Valencia, Spain, covering the “Cultural and Social Situation of Women in Lebanon and the Strategy of Change and Progress”and “The Status of Women in Lebanese Legislation”.
1992 -  Anti-Illiteracy Conference, Damascus, Syria.
1992 -  Organizing a conference on “The Role of Women in Political Decision-Making”, Beirut, Lebanon.
1993 - Conference on “Women’s Activities in the Mediterranean Countries”, Marsin, Turkey.
1993 -  Seminar held at the “Lebanese-American National Council”, Los Angelese, USA.
1993 -  Arab Women’s Conference on “Coordination between Women’s Councils” organized by the General Federation of Syrian Women, Damascus, Syria.
1993 - Organizing a conference on the “Media and Its Role in Women’s Participation in Development”, Beirut, Lebanon.
1994 - Preparatory forums on “The Fourth World Conference on Women”, Amman, New York.
1994 - Conference on “The role of Women in Cultural, Social and Economic Development”, Kuwait.
1994 - Arab Regional meeting of SEFEX organization for the “Promotion of Good Citizenship”, Cairo, Egypt.
1994 – Conference on “Cultural Exchange in the Mediterranean Countries”, Germany, Unesco.
1994 - Conference on “From Shore to Shore in the Mediterranean Basin”, Casablanca, Morocco.
1994 - Conference of SEFEX organization on “Promotion of Good Citizenship”, Mexico.
1995 -  Civil Organizations’ Conference, Kuwait.
1995 – “Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing”: “The Lebanese Women’s Council”, headed by Dr. Aman Kabbara Chaarani, took the initiative to have Lebanon participate in this conference. The Council also prepared seven workshops and established the national committee for the preparation of the Beijing conference and the civil committee to follow up on women’s issues.
1996 -  Sana’a conference in Yemen on “Arab National Issues” organized by the “Committee for the Follow Up of Arab National Issues”.
1997 - Conference on “Solidarity among the Arab Countries” organized by “The Libyan Women Organization”, Tripoli, Libya.
1997 - The Twenty Eighth International Conference of the International Council of Women on “Strategies for the Third Millennium”, Ottawa, Canada.
1998 - Organizing a conference on “Arab Women and the Exercise of Political Power – the Quota and the Possibility of Its Implementation”, Beirut, Lebanon.
1999 - The Hague Forum on “Population and Development”, Holland.
2000 - Organizing a conference on “Women and the Exercise of Political Power - Quota 2”, Beirut, Lebanon.
2002 - Organizing a coordination meeting to reactivate the role of women in “The General Federation of Arab Women”, Beirut, Lebanon.
2002 - Organizing the conference of Arab solidarity with Palestinian and Iraqi women entitled “Present and Future Challenges Facing Arab Women”, Beirut, Lebanon.
2002 - Organizing a conference on results of a study entitled “Lebanese Women and Political Commitment: Reality and Aspirations”, Beirut, Lebanon.
2004 -  Organizing a conference to mark the golden jubilee of the Lebanese Women’s Council entitled “Roots, Achievements and Aspirations”.
2004 - Organizing a coordination meeting on re-activating “The General Federation of Arab Women”, Beirut, Lebanon.
2005 - Tehran conference on “Challenges of Globalization and Its Economic Ramifications on Muslim Women”.
2005 - Sudan conference on “The First Arab al-Bejrawiyah Festival on Women’s Cultural Creativity”, Khartoum, Sudan.
2005 - Tunis conference on “Core Participation of Arab Women in the Development Process”.
2005 - World conference on “Violence against Women”, Dourdan University, Paris, France.
2005 - Istanbul conference on “The Consolidation of Role of Women in Public Life in the Middle East and North Africa”, Turkey.
2005 - Amman conference on “Personal Status Law and the Problems of Cultural Rights”, Jordan.
2005 - The preparatory meeting for the unifying conference of the “General Federation of Arab Women”, Yemen. 
2005 -  Conference on “The Peace Movement for Disarmament and Freedom” organized by “The Spanish Humanitarian Organization”, Amman, Jordan.
2005 - New York conference on “The Forty Ninth Session of the Commission on the Status of Women”, United Nations headquarters.
2006 -  Conference on re-activating “The General Federation of Arab Women”, Yemen.
2006 - New York conference on “The Fiftieth Session of the Commission on the Status of Women”, United Nations headquarters.
2006 - The General Assembly meeting of the “International Council of Women” Kiev, Ukraine.
2007 – New York conference on “The Fifty First Session to End all Forms of Discrimination and Violence against Women and Girls Under the Age of Sixteen”.
2007 - Caracas conference on “The History of Women’s Struggle in the World” organized by “The World Federation of Democratic Women”, Venezuela.
2008 -  New York conference on “The Fifty Second Session of the Commission on the Status of Women”, United Nations headquarters.
2008 - Jakarta conference on “Work of the Executive Committee of the International Council of Women”, Indonesia.
2008 - Arab international forum on “Right of Return of the Palestinians to Their Land”, Damascus, Syria.
2008 - Legislative conference on “Combating Domestic Violence”, Bahrain.
2009 - Johannesburg conference on “Advancement of Women” organized by the “International Council of Women”, South Africa.
2009 - Second Regional Forum on “Women’s Rights”, Kuwait.
2009 -  Conference of the “General Federation of Syrian Women” on the occasion of electing its members, Damascus.
2009 - Transmed forum on “The European Strategy for the Coordination of Economic Policies and Social Policies on Both Sides of the Mediterranean Sea”, Amman, Jordan.
2009 - Meetings with the “Norwegian Church Aids Committee” (NCA) to discuss the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon. The topic discussed at the meetings was “Women, Peace and Security”.
2009 - International conference on “The Challenges Facing Religious,  Cultural and Economic Diversity” organized by “Konrad Adenauer Foundation” (K.S.A), “European Abraham Foundation” (EAF), the Embassy of Switzerland and the Jordanian Royal Institute for Human Rights, Amman, Jordan
2009 - “The Conference on Dialogue between Different Cultures” organized by “The International Ombudsman Institute” and “The National Council for Human Rights”, Cairo, Egypt.
2009 - Regional meeting to discuss the shadow report parallel to the reports of the governments for submission to the Women’s Committee in New York 2010 (Beijing + 15) organized by the “Alliance for Arab Women”, “UNIFEM” and “Dignity Organization”, Cairo, Egypt.

Publications – Lebanese Women’s Council
Books
• 1974 - “Women in the Arab Laws”
• 1992 - “Activating the Role of Women in Political Decision-Making” in cooperation with “Friedrich Ebert Foundation”
• 1997 - “Lines and Chapters under the Dome of the Lebanese Women’s Council” from 1997 – 1999, Dr. Aman Kabbara Chaarani
• 1999 - “Arab Women and the Exercise of Political Power – Quota and the Possibility of Its Implementation”
• 2000 - “Women and the Exercise of Political Power – Quota 2”
• 2002 - “Lebanese Women and Political Commitment – Reality and Aspirations”
• 2004 – “Women in the Lebanese Women’s Council: Roots, Achievements, Aspirations”

Studies
• 1996 – Field study on the “Work of the Lebanese Women’s Council’s Associations” in conjunction with the Ministry of Social Affairs, Dr. Aman Kabbara Chaarani
• 1998 - Field study on “Combating Violence against Women in the Family” in association with Friedrich Ebert Foundation
• 2002 – Field study on “Lebanese Women and Political Commitment- Reality and Aspirations”, Mona Kamar Mourad and Dr. Michael Awwad in cooperation with the European Union
• 2006 – Opinion poll on “Woman and Her Representative Role in the Lebanese Elections”
• 2009 – Field study on “Women’s Electoral Guide: Candidate, Delegate and Voter”, Prepared by Dr. Aman Kabbara Chaarani
• 2010 – “The Participation of Lebanese Women in the 2009 Parliamentary Elections”, Dr. Aman Kabbara Chaarani

Pamphlets
• 1996 – “Guide for the NGOs Affiliated with the Lebanese Women’s Council”, Dr. Aman Kabbara Chaarani
• 2010 - Documenting the project of supporting and consolidating women’s participation in the 2009 Lebanese parliamentary elections. Documented and prepared by Abla Salim Kadi. Supervised by Dr. Aman Kabbara Chaarani

Informative Publications
• 1992 – 2008 – Four Publications about Lebanese Women’s Council (Arabic, French, English)
• 2004 –  A publication on the occasion of the golden jubilee 1953 –      2004: “Roots, Achievements, Aspirations”

Other Activities
• 2000 – Organizing a university level competition for directing and producing a propaganda film about “Supporting the Participation of Women in Exercising Political Power”
• 2002 – M.S.I. Multi Data Services Inc. Women in Lebanon 1972-2000 Bibliography
• 2002 – Spot video and  information on the integration of women in political activity supported by the European Union
• 2004 – Setting up in Bisharah Khoury Street in Beirut a statue and a wall monument depicting the “Lebanese Resisting Woman” designed by the artist Wajih Nakhleh, supported by the Prime Minister in cooperation with the Municipality of Beirut
• 2006 – Production of a TV Spot supporting women in political decision-making
- Production of video films on the activities of the Lebanese Women’s Council
• 2009 – Production of DVD documenting meetings and round table panel discussions held for female and male candidates for the 2009 parliamentary elections

Projects UnderImplementation
2009 - Website update for Lebanese Women’s Council
2010 - Women and municipality elections project
2010 - Book fair on “What Women Wrote and What Was Written about Them” in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and ESCWA within the context of Beirut World Book Capital celebrations
- Study about the achievements of the Arab countries on “Child Rights”
- Study about the history of the “Lebanese Women’s Council”
- An Exhibition on crafts produced by civil societies affiliated to the “Lebanese Women’s Council”