UN-Habitat Lebanon Country Programme and the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) launched the National Women and Land Campaign in Lebanon, through a roundtable event in Beirut. Gathering key stakeholders, media, women’s organizations, and legal entities, the event shed important light on the legal context of women’s rights to housing, land, and property (HLP rights) in Lebanon.
The campaign launch initiated a multi-level dialogue about women’s housing, land, and property rights in Lebanon while highlighting the importance of protecting these rights. The event offered an opportunity for women who have had their HLP rights safeguarded, to share how this has empowered them and ensured the socio-economic wellbeing of their families and communities.
During the event Ms. Claudine Aoun, president of NCLW, said: ‘’Today, we look forward to have an evolution in mentalities and practices, so that our daily lives become more in line with the principles we hold, and for the prevailing culture in our society to be a living culture inspired by our contemporary life, and not by experiences lived by our ancestors and which belong to times completely different from ours. Hence our call to update the laws governing our lives of which the personal status laws, including the special provisions on inheritance. Therefore, we call that there be in Lebanon a unified civil law for personal status that equalizes the rights recognized for women and those for men, in everything related to managing their lives and their personal and family lives.”
“Improving women’s housing, land, and property rights in Lebanon is absolutely essential. By ensuring these rights, the socio-economic development opportunities and wellbeing for families and communities can significantly improve, at all income levels. The protection of women’s housing, land and property rights contributes to the realization and enjoyment of a wide range of human rights such as the right to an adequate standard of living, adequate housing, health, work, and education.’’ said Taina Christiansen, Head of UN-Habitat Lebanon Country Programme.
During the event Ms. Randa Abboud, Public Notary, Treasurer, Executive Board Secretary and Member of the Gender Based Violence Committee and the Legal Committee at NCLW, provided a legal review of women’s housing, land, and property rights in Lebanon through available data and legislation.
Professor Ghada Jumblatt, a member of the executive board at NCLW Executive Office, moderated the discussion session on the challenges for implementing women’s housing, land and property rights in Lebanon.
The Women and Land Campaign in Lebanon is in line with the NCLW’s coordination role in the implementation of the National Action Plan for the execution of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security, namely on women economic empowerment and is also part of the regional campaign launched by UN-Habitat in partnership with the Global Land Tools Network (GLTN) on housing, land and property rights for women in the Arab region. It is part of UN-Habitat’s mandate to ensure a better urban future for all, and by the partners of the Stand for Her Land Campaign, including the World Bank, the International Association for Spatial Planning (IASP) and the European Commission.
As a key outcome of the event, a set of recommendations on the way forward will be generated, capturing a series of action-oriented advocacy suggestions made during the discussion. These commitments are to women in Lebanon, policy makers, and relevant stakeholders, concretizing the importance of ensuring HLP rights for women in urbanization and planning, for the future well-being of all those living in Lebanon.
