A. The General Assembly
The General Assembly is the Association's highest authority. It is composed of all members, duly registered and in good standing, according to the statute and by - laws of the Association. The General Assembly meets in yearly ordinary sessions. It can be convened for an extraordinary session at any time either by decision of Board Members or upon the request of a specified number of its members.
The General Assembly elects from among its members a 24-person Board of Directors for a four-year term.
B. The Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is the highest decision-making body of the Association. The current board was elected on 8 April 2006.
The Bureau of the Board, elected by the Board of Directors from among its 24 members - is composed of 10 members:
- The President
- Two Vice - Presidents
- The Secretary General
- The Treasurer
- The Secretary of Foreign Relations
- Four Members of the Board of Directors
B 1 - The Specialized Committees.
The Specialized Committees play a significant role in policy formulation. Each committee is headed by a member of the Board of Directors and membership is open to members of the Association. In addition, there are 4 Special Committees.
The Specialized Committees are:
Planning (President: Neemat Frem)
Energy (President: Nabil Ghorra)
Industrial Finance (President: Ramez Bou Nader)
Social Policy (President: Ousama Halbawi)
Custom and Tax Policy (President: Nicolas Abi Nasr)
Promotion and Marketing (President: Charles Arbid)
Supermarkets and Points of Sale (President: Sami Salman)
Environment (President: Sami Assaf*)
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (President: Mohammad Sinno)
Vocational Education and Training (President: Adib Abbas*)
Relations With The Banking Sector (President: Walid Assaf)
Young Industrialists (President: Mounir Bsat* )
QMS (President: Nabil Tabbah)
IT (President: "not named yet")
Membership (President: Nazareth Sabounjian)
Soft Solution (President: Fady Gemayel)
LIRA (President: Said Hmedeh*)
* Not a member of the Board of Directors
B 2 - The Council of Industrial Regions.
The Council is a recent addition to the Association's constituent bodies. It is headed by the First Vice-President and is composed of the Presidents of Regional Industrial Assemblies (of which there are 20), covering all areas of Lebanon.
The Council of Industrial Regions' main contributions, among others, are in evaluating the state of current industrial regions and proposing improvements; suggesting new regions - especially in outlying areas of the country; addressing region-specific issues and problems; encouraging cooperation and coordination among regions.
B 3 - The Council of Industrial Sectors
This Council too, is a recent addition to the Association's constituent bodies. It is headed by the Second Vice-President and is composed of the Presidents of Industrial Sectorial Syndicates (of which there are 16), covering all areas of manufacturing in Lebanon.
The Council of Industrial Sectors' contributions are many. It encourages, among others, inter- and intra-sector cooperation, coordination and the exchange of pertinent information. The Council encourages member syndicates to submit sector-specific tariff proposals and policy recommendations.
B 4 - The Export Promotion Council
The Export Promotion Council's scope of activity is deepening and increasing.
The Council is headed by the Secretary of Foreign Relations and is gradually attaining a standing as the most dynamic proponent of export promotion in Lebanon.
Among its many responsibilities, the Council organizes delegations to explore foreign markets and receives delegations interested in buying Lebanese-made products. It helps identifying Lebanese manufacturers who are willing and able to export regularly and reliably.
The Export Promotion Council initiates, coordinates and organizes participation in national and international trade fairs and exhibitions. As far as Lebanese industrialists are concerned, the most successful fairs and exhibitions are the ones organized and supervised by the Council.
A most important function the Council undertakes is the reviewing and analyzing of trade agreements. After deliberating with concerned parties, the Council makes its recommendations as to proposed amendments.
In all events, the guiding principle and driving force behind the Council's work is to safeguard the vital interests of Lebanese manufacturers.
C - The Administration
The Association's permanent executive arm is headed by a General Manager supported by a professional staff.
The Administration affords the Association a sense of continuity and a collective memory. Our 62 - year old archives attest to that.
D - Activities of the Association's Administration.
Broadly , The administration's activities can be divided into micro and macro activities .
D 1 - Micro Activities.
These activities are services mainly rendered to individual members. They cover, among others, the following:
Various types of attestations.
Intervention vis-à-vis third parties, e.g. Government Agencies, economic organizations, embassies, etc…
Dissemination of pertinent information.
Organizing issue-specific conferences, conventions & seminars.
D 2 - Macro Activities.
These activities are a culmination of the work of the constituent bodies ( see above ), with the essential support of the Administration. In other words, the policy initiatives suggested by the Specialized Committees, the Council of Industrial Regions, the Council of Industrial Sectors and the Export Promotion Council are evaluated by the Board of Directors. Action plans are formulated to turn those policy recommendations into Government policy for the benefit of the industrial sector in Lebanon.
E. The Administration's Departments
The Administration's activities are conducted through the following departments:
Directorate of Economic & Social Affairs
Directorate of Foreign Relations
Directorate of Public Relations
Directorate of Administrative Affairs
In addition to executing the action plan formulated by the Board of Directors and providing the micro and macro services, the Administration's four departments assist the Board of Directors in carrying out their functions on the national and international levels
E 1 - On the National Level
The Association's activities on the national level encompass a wide range of interests. In addition to its role as a pillar of the Tripartite social system, the Association has a strategic interest in seeing qualitative advances made, among others, in
primary, secondary and university education; in research and development; in linking universities and research & development institutes to the industrial sector; in vocational and technical training and education; in infrastructure; industrial parks; industrial credits; etc . . .
To achieve its goals in these vital areas - with their direct impact on economic and particularly industrial growth - the Association is represented and is active in the following, mainly long - established national councils and committees:
The Economic Consultative Committee to the Prime Minister.
The Social Security Fund.
The Industrial Research Institute.
The Lebanese Norms & Standards Institute.
The Courts of Labor Arbitration.
The Official Committee of Trade Agreements.
The Vocational Training Center Adults.
The High Council for Professional and Technical Education.
The Customs Sectorial Assessment Committees.
The Lebanese Association for Technical Education at all levels.
The Association also participates in ad-hoc committees, round tables and discussion groups, official and private sector, pertaining to the industrial sector.
E 2 - On the International Level
Globalization has made the Association's involvement in the international arena even more important .
Among the Association's many long-standing partners, we have closely collaborated with these U.N. specialized agencies: UNIDO, UNDP, ESCWA, ILO, the World Bank as well as the International Organization for Employers and the National Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce.
These agencies have conducted studies in which the Association assisted by providing information, opinions and other support. They have also undertaken training programs and projects which have benefited industry in many ways.
In the Arab Region, the Association has cooperated with, among others, the Arab Labor Organization, the Arab Federation for Food Industries, the Arab Industrial Development and Mining Organization, the Islamic Bank for Development and the Regional Arab Program for Labor Administration.
The Association also maintains close working relationships and has signed Memorandums of Understanding with Arab and international Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Industrial Federations.
The Association of Lebanese Industrialists represents Lebanese employers in the following Arab and International Organizations:
The International Labor Conference.
The Arab Labor Conference.
The Arab Economic and Social Council.
The National Committee to the Joint Lebanon-EC Trade Cooperation Committee.
The International Organization of Employers.
Union of Mediterranean confederations of Employers organizations (UMCE)
Supporting our national and international activities is the Administration's Information Center. The Center is the Association's data base and holds part of our archives.
The Center is gradually becoming an essential part of the services provided by the Association, both to its members and to its national and international partners.
The Information Center is and will be linked to some of our Arab and international partners. This will prove to be one of the Association's most fruitful endeavors .
F - Services Provided By The Association
• List of members + Elaboration of data regarding industries.
• Lobbying
• Letters to Embassies (Visas)
• Letter for Transportation License
• News letter website
• Daily circulars to members (e-mail/fax)
• NFSS – Personal service (case by case)
• Customs, TVA services (case by case)
• Association's liaison office in MOI
• Support members with public and local administrations
• Conferences + Training seminars (Capacity Building)
• Fairs & exhibitions
• Business & marketing services
• Information on trends & developments
• Organizing delegation trips (fact finding missions – selling missions)
• National Gazette: information on laws / decrees etc…
• Employment match making – Link with universities, technical schools & other organizations
