Press Conference for AFKAR II

The Minister of State for Administrative Reform Mr. Jean Oghassabian and the Head of the Delegation of the European Commission Mr. Patrick Laurent held a press conference on Tuesday 5th of June 2007, to announce the list of selected projects submitted by NGOs that obtained a grant from the European Commission in the framework of the AFKAR 2 program.
Afkar aims to support civil society and reinforce the respect of human rights and the Rule of Law.
This event was attended by representatives from the 24 selected NGOs, members of the Delegation of the European Commission and the AFKAR team at OMSAR.
Mr. Oghassabian and Mr. Laurent emphasized the importance of the partnership between Lebanon and the European Union as well as that of continuous work with civil society in view of reinforcing dialogue and consolidating democratic bases.

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Mr. Patrick Laurent explained in his speech that “when AFKAR was born, it was the first program of the European Commission in Lebanon specifically targeting the civil society. And he added” Calling this new born “AFKAR” – idea in Arabic- it was not by chance. We knew precisely what we were searching for-innovation and creative solutions for the promotion and protection of democracy. But- and today I can admit it openly – we actually had very little idea about what we were going to find on the undiscovered territory of the Lebanese civil society. It was a test.
Three years later, I have many reasons to celebrate. Sixteen projects of AFKAR I have been completed: films were made, theatre pieces staged, photo exhibitions shown, books published, meetings organized, new laws proposed, vulnerable children provided with protection.
Twenty four new projects, triple in the size of the previous round (EUR 2,4 million), are launched today. They offer protection and advocacy for those most vulnerable, among the Lebanese-abused children and battered women, mentally and physically disabled, prisoners, and migrant workers. They address such crucial issues as the independence of media, protection of the environment, drug-addiction, and family violence. And they provide practical solutions: developing a blood-donor database, training journalists, creating handicapped-friendly spaces in North Lebanon.
Mr. Laurent said that today he is speaking “with much more hope and expectations than at the beginning of AFKAR I three years ago. Indeed, confidence has been one of the greatest gains of AFKAR. Not only our confidence in the Lebanese civil society who has proven to us their many capacities and carried out innovative projects while managing to respect our administrative procedures. But also, and perhaps most of all, the mutual confidence and credibility which has been created between the civil society actors and the government.
When AFKAR started we were well aware that the direct cooperation between the public administration and NGOs is not always an easy one.
And many were the pessimists telling us that the Lebanese civil organizations and the government will never trust each other enough to work so closely together. I am happy to state that they were wrong. OMSAR through the support, openness, and efficient management of the program, has become a credible partner for NGOs. NGOs, on the other hand through the seriousness of their commitment, professionalism and abilities, are today recognized by OMSAR as respected counterparts.”
And he concluded that “The winner in the end is the Lebanese citizen and the democratic process.
As any good idea, AFKAR does not need many words, but shall rather be allowed to speak for itself. Thus I finish now, with a word of gratitude and support to all the NGO and OMSAR staff who have offered their knowledge and skills to the Lebanese citizen and to the service of democracy.”

The Minister of State for Administrative Reform remarked that 24 initiatives for dialogue, the respect of human rights, and the reinforcement of the Rule of Law were selected to receive funding from the AFKAR II European Commission grant.
He said “The success of the call for proposals - which was launched in June 2006 - has confirmed that the July 2006 war did not affect our determination in pursuing our serious and fruitful work aiming to serve our country and reinforce our partnership with civil society.
Despite the difficult circumstances, a large number of NGOs submitted outstanding projects to receive funding from AFKAR, thereby proving once again the commitment of the Lebanese civil society to its principles: attachment to democracy and dialogue, refusal of war and conflicts, and respect of human rights. 
Ours is an active, innovative, and capable society, regardless of circumstances. It has distinguished itself through its work during times of both war and peace for defending human rights and causes, and this was reflected in the projects submitted to AFKAR, which have a scientific methodology and meet the needs and interests of civil society.   
Following the success of AFKAR I, which was also funded by the EU, AFKAR II opens new horizons for new causes related to awareness and dialogue. It also deals with gender issues, women’s rights, family violence, as well as issues related to media, prison, environment and addiction. We support and defend these initiatives, and strive to attain their objectives. We work together in order to advocate the same concerns: dialogue, democracy, and human rights”. 
Minister Oghassabian thanked the EU for its support on more than one level: politics, administration, reform, and development. “This effective partnership with Europe has been concretized by many successful projects at OMSAR. “
And he congratulated the selected NGOs and wished them success in the implementation of their activities in the coming phase of AFKAR II.

                                                                                    

On the other hand, Afkar project coordinator Mme Youmna Ghorayeb explained “a pilot project launched in 2004 with a one-million-dollar grant, AFKAR rapidly turned into a new partnership between the public sector and civil society, thus consolidating our partnership with the European Union. AFKAR 2 was launched with a larger total grant amount while we were still overseeing the implementation of the last phases of AFKAR 1.
The total grant amount tripled with AFKAR 2 and reached 3 million Euros, as per the financial convention signed on 15 March 2006 between the Minister of State for Administrative Reform and the European Union. This amount is divided as follows: 2,300,000 Euros allocated to the projects of NGOs (50,000 – 100,000 Euros per project), and the rest allocated to the technical assistance offered by an European NGO (training sessions, workshops, and other support activities to Lebanese NGOs and civil society).
69 NGOs answered the call for proposals that was launched on 23 June 2006, thus overcoming the war and ensuing hard conditions in Lebanon, and proving once more the civil society’s ability to achieve serious work and make new initiatives.
The evaluation of proposals took place according to the program’s guidelines and its annexed evaluation grid. It was performed by a committee composed of OMSAR staff and civil society experts having great technical and academic competences in addition to extensive experience. The selection process was followed by four observers from the European Union in Beirut. I grab the opportunity here to thank our European colleagues for their continuous work and follow-up of the AFKAR program since 2004.
The evaluation committee finally selected 24 projects to receive grants within the framework of the two AFKAR 2 sectors as follows:
Sector One: strengthening of civil, political, economic, and social rights, and democratic values in a legal context. The 15 selected projects in this sector deal with women issues, media, electoral culture, environment, gender issues, mental health, life and blood donations, in addition to prison, addiction, handicaps, and autism from the legal and psychosocial viewpoints.
As for the second sector, it emphasizes dialogue among the different constituents of the Lebanese youth. 9 projects were selected within this sector, with dialogues involving media, Internet, environment, arts, and society.
The selection of these projects constitutes but a small step in a long journey whose success will mostly be defined by the good implementation of these projects and of the different support activities.