LAU launches innovative gender issues diploma

Traditional gender roles have privileged men at the expense of women. However, women are not the only ones harmed by inequality, as men are also victims of stereotypical gender roles that influence their self-worth or their ability to seek help.

The new diploma, launched by LAU’s Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW) provides concrete tools to identify, monitor and address gender inequality, on the principle that the equal treatment of all individuals will benefit members of society as a whole.

The diploma is designed for policy makers and practitioners, researchers and academics, activists and advocates, and will offer hands-on tools such as various methods of data collection, gender mainstreaming strategies and practical knowledge on how to address gender issues in the context of emergencies.

“We do not live in an ivory tower,” said LAU President Joseph G. Jabbra at the launching ceremony held on October 21. “We have an obligation to respond to the needs of society.” According to Jabbra, “the issue of conflict cannot be resolved without bringing women into the picture,” and the academic world has a duty to help make this happen.

The Gender in Development and Humanitarian Assistance diploma―which is set to start in 2017―consists of five core courses and five optional ones, each consisting of 15 classroom hours. It is run in partnership with the Continuing Education Program (CEP) and single courses will be available to those wishing to gain insight into one precise aspect of gender inequality.

IWSAW Director Lina Abirafeh is the mastermind behind the new diploma. “There are superheroes out there who work every day to promote gender equality,” said Abirafeh, “what we want is to provide them with the necessary tools to get the job done.”

Abirafeh worked in close collaboration with Frank Elbers, chair of the global Human Rights Education Associates, Inc. (HREA)―an international organization that supports human rights education and trains human rights defenders. “Gender dimensions can be integrated into peace and security,” said Elbers. “We expect participants to become active actors of change in Lebanon and in the region.”

In order to cater to the needs of practitioners who are likely to have binding time constraints, classes can be provided remotely via video conferencing.

The launching ceremony was attended by notable guests, including the Dutch ambassador Hester Somsen. “Without women we get nowhere,” she said in the keynote speech, underlining the importance and timeliness of the new diploma.

IWSAW board member and President of the Beirut Marathon Association May El-Khalil observed that no country in the world has yet achieved gender equality. “In the Middle East we have to take up this challenge and build a world equal for all,” she said. “No one can run that marathon for us.” 

The diploma consists of five core courses and five optional ones.