Join us for a conversation on Syria. As we commemorate the 10 years since the eruption of the first protests in Syria, we look back at how these were perceived by our speakers back then, but also at how the country looks like today, who the main players are and what the humanitarian situation is. 

Joining us on this podcast moderated by SPIEGEL reporter Thore Schröder, are:

Lina Sinjab, a Syrian Journalist and is a Middle East correspondent at the BBC. In 2013 she covered the Syria peace talks in Geneva and before that, from 2007, she was the BBC’s Damascus-based correspondent. Lina has extensively covered the Syrian uprising since its beginnings in 2011 and continues to follow developments in Syria and the region.

Further joining us is Nazir Madi (Alias Name), a Syrian human rights activist based in Germany, who works on humanitarian projects in Syria and countries hosting its refugees.

Liberal Q: Quo Vadis Syria?

We ask, how can women better reach their goals in society, politics or at work? This is the question the Friedrich Naumann Foundation has asked in Germany and around the world with their recent #FemaleForwardInternational campaign. 
In Lebanon this topic is more relevant than ever: Even though there is a history in the Arab context of women being viewed in their roles of caretakers and mothers, the socio-political and economic challenges facing the region in the past decades have forced women to take on new roles. Lebanon is seen as one of the most progressive Arab countries in this context. Certainly, the social and economic freedoms for women in Lebanon are greater than those in other Arab countries, however, the political and business culture is still masculine in its structure and cannot be compared to western environments. The society’s continued perception of women as homemakers, mothers, and wives, controls the sociably acceptable jobs that women, that do choose to follow careers, should pursue.

For this second episode of the #FemaleForwardInternational campaign Luna Safwan, award winning Lebanese Journalist and Activist, sat down with two esteemed women of the field to discuss the topic and share their experiences.

Caroline Fattal: 
She was named twice by Forbes Middle East, in 2014 and 2015, as one of the “Most Powerful Arab Women in Business.” Mrs. Caroline Fattal Fakhoury combines 20 years of corporate business experience with the skills of a professional business coach. Throughout her career in Europe, Latin America & the Middle East, learning best practices from the likes of Unilever, Mondelez and Johnson & Johnson. Following her Unilever experience, Caroline joined her family’s business, Fattal Group where she currently serves as Senior Vice-President and Board Member.
She has branched out into coaching to share her ideas about cooperative leadership and organizational development. Caroline launched the “Stand for Women” initiative advocating for women empowerment and gender equality in the Middle East.

Lina Boubess:
Lina Boubess became an icon of Lebanon’s protest movement when a photograph of her trying to prevent an arrest went viral last year. She has since been on the forefront of the protests and the post Beirut Blast initiatives. While she continues to fulfil her roles in the family business the Boubess Group, the revolution has become her primary focus.

Women in Business Podcast with Caroline Fattal, Lina Boubess and Luna Safwan #FemaleForward

Fuckup Nights is one of our favorite formats. Usually we invite our network for pizza and beer to the office, there we gather entrepreneurs to tell us about their fuckups. This  edition is special though:
We are shedding light on some of the amazing initiatives that came out of the horrible Beirut Blast and how they fucked up with their NGOs. 

Moderated by Nour Alwan, our partner from the Submarine co-working space, we talked to: 

Lara Kays, Project Manager at Factory People, who came to talk about Basecamp, a relief initiative covering everything from recycling rubble to fixing homes and feeding people in need.

John Ashkar, who is leading the RiseUp, an initiative dedicated to support micro and small enterprises affected by the Blast. 

Mazen el Murr from Nation Station, an initiative that is supporting the community in Geitawi after the Blast in all different ways and forms.

Fuckup Nights Vol. XI - Beirut Relief Special

The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) is a German foundation devoted to the promotion of liberal principles and to political education. FNF was established in 1958 by Prof. Theodor Heuss, the first President of the Federal Republic of Germany. The goal of the foundation is to advance the principles of freedom and dignity for all people in all areas of society, both in Germany and abroad FNF promotes individual freedom and liberalism in cooperation with local partners through civic education, international political dialogue and political counseling programs.
FNF is active in over 60 countries around the world, spanning Europe, Africa, Asia, North and Central America. Within these project countries, our regional offices work to support human rights, rule of law, and democracy. In order to achieve these aims, the foundation seeks to foster both international and transatlantic dialogue through conferences, study tours, and publications, among other means. In addition, the foundation supports local, regional, and national initiatives which advance the rights of minorities, the democratic control of security forces, and the strengthening of international human rights coalitions.
FNF Lebanon and Syria promotes liberal thinking and liberal policies in cooperation with local partners by organizing activities of civic education, seminars, conferences, supporting publications, and international political dialogues. We provide political consulting mainly to liberal political parties in order to improve their programmatic basis, their strategic orientation and their political communication with citizens. The reason why we cooperate with political parties worldwide is our belief in election-based democracy.

FNFLebanon