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Monday Talks > 2016 Autumn
Monday 19 December 2016 (7 to 8 pm - Open to all)
(Our last event in Season 11, Autumn 2016)
Title: the Road Ahead and the Alternative Municipality
Speakers: Members of Beirut Madinati
Zeina Abla Idriss
Iman Al Hassan-Ghandour
Abdul-Halim Jabr
André Sleiman
Leon Telvizian
Language: Arabic
Sites of interest:
The Talk
Our last event in Season 10 (Autumn 2016) will be with members of Beirut Madinati (who gave us a very successful talk back in March 2016). Their impact on Municipal Elections was seminal. It changed the approach by involving the silent majority. It changed the approach by presenting a broad range of candidates: their youth and experience promising reform in a much needed area.
Since the elections in late spring when Beirut Madinati got 40% of the votes, they have been active. In this talk, the 5 speakers (some of whom were candidates) will describe the "Road Ahead" and talk about their work on the Alternative Municipality.
Speakers
Zeina Abla Idriss - Consultant in Socio-economics
Independent researcher, consulting for international organizations and UN agencies. With 20 years, she has published reports in the subjects of social and economic development in Lebanon, focusing on youth, employment and education, and extensively on tailoring global development agendas to local community development planning needs. Zeina is a founding member Beirut Madinati and coauthor of its May 2016 elections program. Within the Alternative Municipality working group she ensures that all our visions have social, economic, environmental and cultural components, following people-centered rights-based development principles.
Iman Al Hassan-Ghandour - Public Relations Specialist
One of 24 candidates in Beirut Madinati’s bid for the municipal elections in May 2016. She holds an MBA from the AUB and has worked in the transportation department at the ESCWA in Beirut in addition to holding various positions in the private sector, in public relations and marketing. Iman was the vice-president of the International College alumni association where she helped in fundraising efforts to support underprivileged students. In addition, she was an active member in organizing committees in Lebanese Heritage festivals.
Abdul-Halim Jabr - Architect and Urban Design Consultant
One of 24 candidates in Beirut Madinati’s bid for the municipal elections in May 2016. Architect, urban design consultant, university professor and civic activist. He was a member of APSAD, and co-authored a study for heritage buildings in Beirut, conducted for the DGU, and submitted to Council of Ministers (1997). As a member of the Order of Engineers and Architects, he was engaged in various initiatives, election cycles (independents), and conferences. Abdul-Halim is a member of many civic campaigns in Beirut (heritage buildings, stopping the Fouad Boutros highway, protecting Rawche and Ramlet-el-Baida). He is member within the advisory committee for heritage buildings for the Ministry of Culture since 2014.
André Sleiman - Expert in Municipalities and Decentralisation
Worked at UNDP, USAID and consulted for several international organisations. With his extensive knowledge of the legal framework that regulates local governance, as well as the common practices at the municipal level, he is keenly aware of how power is exercised at the local level in Lebanese society, and how municipal administrations function and elected municipal members operate. At Beirut Madinati, André seeks to put his experience with municipalities at the service of emerging/young leaders who wish to make a change in other municipalities, and thereby contribute to coaching citizens groups outside of Beirut, in keeping with the vision for the Alternative Municipality which he helped formulate.
Leon Telvizian - Architect and Professor at the Lebanese University
One of 24 candidates in Beirut Madinati’s bid for the municipal elections in May 2016. Architect and urban Planner, and a professor at the Lebanese University. He is the author of many articles and studies on urban assessment, development and heritage. Trained in Lebanon, Canada and France, he was the founder and the director of the Urban Planning Department at the Lebanese University (1997- 2007). Leon’s experience covers the fields of international cooperation and scientific and professional practice of urban planning and local sustainable development. He is now a consultant for the EU, UN-ESCWA, UN-HABITAT and UNESCO on many urban issues of which strategic planning and urban heritage.
