Genre et commerce

The EFTA States and Lebanon shall establish a free trade area in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement with a view to spurring economic activities in their territories, thereby raising standards of living and improving employment conditions and contributing to Euro-Mediterranean economic integration. This Agreement, which is based on trade relations between market economies and on the respect of democratic principles and human rights, are: - to achieve the liberalisation of trade in goods, in conformity with Article XXIV of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (hereinafter referred to as the “GATT 1994”); - to gradually develop an environment conducive to increased investment flows and enhanced trade in services; - to ensure adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights; - to progressively liberalise government procurement; - to support the harmonious development of economic relations between the Parties through the expansion of trade, and economic and technical co-operation.

League of Arab States, on the basis of faith in the national unity of the Arab nation, aware of the vitality of Arab economic integration as a step towards Arab economic unity and essential means to promote development within the framework of the Pan-Arab Arab economy, free, developed a coherent and balanced. And an investigation as provided for in Article II of the Charter of the League of Arab States of the need for close cooperation between the countries of the university in economic and financial affairs, including to facilitate and expand trade in the fields of agriculture, industry and related services.

The study covers the history and present characteristics of the trade union movement in Lebanon as well as the structure of trade union movements, the results of a field survey and recommendations for a future trade union development.

This report is to assess as much as possible the compliance by the Lebanese State with its commitments towards the protection and promotion of civil and political rights, reporting both advancements and violations in this field since 2007.

The report reviews the articles of the Convention one by one, up to article 16. It should be noted that the Committee is keen for the report to deal with the particular situation of certain groups of women, such as handicapped women, migrant workers etc., and has called for the report to devote a special heading to these groups. Accordingly, the situation of seven groups of women are reviewed immediately after article 16: the elderly, the handicapped, mine victims, prisoners, migrant workers in domestic service, refugees and displaced persons. Furthermore, given that the efforts of recent years have not been confined to those of official bodies, however important these are, but extend to the work of non-governmental organizations in a variety of areas, this report is anxious to affirm the important role played by NGOs in pushing for the removal of obstacles to equality by shedding light on their most significant activities and achievements, as these relate to the Convention. However, as the period covered by the report is fairly lengthy and the size of periodic reports has to be kept within limits, the committee supervising preparation of the report liaised with 22 NGOs concerned with women’s affairs to provide it with an account of their activities during the period of the report. The not inconsiderable amount of material for which there was insufficient space in the report has been placed in an annex.