After three years, the MoreThanAJob project is coming to an end. With that, the Business Consultancy and Training Services (the Lebanese partner) in cooperation with the lead beneficiary of the project, An-Najah National University, organized the project’s final conference in Lebanon, sponsored by the Ministry of Social Affairs patronages in cooperation with the General Labor Union in Lebanon. This closing conference was held at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in Beirut. All partners from Palestine, Jordan, Italy, and Greece participated in the closing conference, and many stakeholders and NGOs were present.

Since its launching in Dec 2019, MoreThanAJob aims to foster dialogue and collaboration among social economy actors and public administrations to promote the social and labour inclusion of vulnerable groups in Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Greece, and Italy.

The conference began with the Lebanese national anthem and a moment of silence for the martyrs (victims of the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria). Dr. Wafaa Haidamous, the General Director of BCTS, welcomed the attendees and expressed her gratitude to all the supporters of the project in Lebanon.

Dr. Imad Ibrik, the “MoreThanAJob” project coordinator at An-Najah University, spoke about the project's goals and achievements, and Eng. Mohammad Itani, the National Coordinator of the Cross-Border Cooperation Program, praised the Lebanese participants for their involvement in the program.

Mr. Boutros Saadeh, Secretary-General of External Relations for the General Labor Union, spoke about the need to establish a state of social justice and personal freedoms.

Ms. Alessia Squarcella, the Deputy Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation, emphasized the need for social solidarity institutions to create more job opportunities for marginalized people. Dr. Pierre Baz, the representative of the Ministry of Social Affairs, spoke about the challenges faced by society and the Ministry's efforts to provide support and assistance.

Two panels of discussion were prepared to engage attendees during this event:

The first panel titled "The impact of economic social solidarity organizations' projects on Mediterranean countries" was opened and moderated by Dr. Wafaa Haidamous, the Director of the Lebanese partner company BCTS for the MoreThanAJob project. The panelists were: Engineer Fadi Nasr, a social activist, Mr. Elie Berbari, Director General of the National Employment Organization, and Father. Michel Abboud, President of Caritas Lebanon, and Dr. Pierre Baz the main consultant of the Ministry of Social Affairs.

The second panel was titled "The contribution of the European Union and other supporters in financing new projects," moderated by Dr. Wafa Haidamous, and participated by: Dr. Esmat AlKaradcheh, Coordinator of the Mediterranean Regional Office in the Cross-Border Cooperation Program, Dr. Imad IBrik, coordinator of the "MoreThanAJob" project at An-Najah University, and Mr. Mohammed Shraif, National Focal Point for the Cross-Border Cooperation Program-CCP.

After the panel’s discussion, the floor was opened for questions, and the conference concluded with several important recommendations.

See some of the press coverage:  1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , ANNU 

And the video coverage , and keep following us through our portal, and on our social channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter) to find out more about the MoreThanAJob initiatives.