BEIRUT — Prime Minister Nawaf Salam addressed a conference at the Grand Serail marking International Women's Day, observed globally on March 8, emphasizing the "essential" role of women in efforts to reform Lebanese institutions, a key focus of his government formed last month.

The speech coincided with the presidency's appointment of members to the National Commission for Lebanese Women, an official body established by a 1998 law. The commission will be chaired by first lady Neemat Aoun.

“The restoration of institutions is the government's ultimate project to achieve recovery and sustainable development,” said Salam, noting that “the role of women in leading and guiding institutions is essential to the success of this project," according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Salam's remarks came during a conference entitled “Inclusive, Accountable and Responsive Institutions for Social Diversity,” organized by U.N. Women in cooperation with the Basil Fuleihan Institute for Finance and Economy, on the occasion of International Women's Day 2025. The conference took place in the Grand Serail on Friday, one day before Women's Day. Several ministers and MPs attended the conference, as well as the U.N. Deputy Special Coordinator, Imran Riza and the president of the Basil Fuleihan Institute Lamia Moubayed Al-Bissat. A crowd of ambassadors and representatives of U.N. bodies and international organizations was also present.

30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration

International Women's Day this year coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, which remains "the world's most progressive framework for the promotion of women's rights and gender equality," Salam said.

The Beijing Platform for Action recognized that gender equality needs to be integrated into economic policies and decision-making to ensure women's equal access to economic opportunities and productive assets, such as land, and a fairer distribution of paid and unpaid work.

"In recent decades, Lebanon has gone through major challenges, from political and economic crises to difficult social and security conditions as well as the Israeli war, all of which have had a particular impact on women and girls. We are fully aware that any recovery and real reform cannot be completed without women being active partners in the development process. Ensuring their full participation in all political, economic and social spheres is essential for sustainable progress," Salam said.

The Prime Minister said that although Lebanon took steps towards promoting gender equality in recent years, Lebanon still ranks 133rd globally and eighth in the Arab world on the Global Gender Gap Index, which reflects the magnitude of the challenges ahead.

"Achieving true gender equality is not only about legal equality between women and men but also about all strategic fields that contribute to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, making the issue of equality a prerequisite for strengthening democracy and good governance," Salam said.

"Therefore, based on our national and international commitments, our government ... set in its ministerial statement the goal of promoting gender equality and entrenching the principles of inclusiveness, accountability and gender responsiveness in state institutions and public policies."

Members of the commission

The presidential press office announced the publication on March 6 of Decree No. 55 appointing the members of the general assembly of the National Commission for Lebanese Women.

This includes journalist and diplomat Sahar Baassiri Salam, the prime minister's wife, as vice-president, as well as lawyer Ghada Hamdan, risk management expert Nathalie Zaarour, diplomat Jeanne Mrad, lawyer Lara Saade, lawyer Joumana Sleilati, May Makhzoumi, who chairs the Makhzoumi Foundation, and playwright Zeina Daccache.

Sabine Saad Makari, Cynthia Asmar, Madonna Ayanian, Samarinda Nassar, Maryam Sfeir Mrad, Lamia Osseirane, Lina Comati, Katie Sarouphim, Abla Mehio al-Sebai, Nazek al-Khatib, Roula Faouzi Jaafar, Chirine Abdel Raouf Katiche and Ruby Makarem complete the list of members. According to the decree, the term of office of the members of the commission is three years.