In order to set a strategy fitting the challenges ahead, the sitting administrative body of LCW, in consultation with the General Assembly met to discuss and redefine the role and purpose of the Council.
They agreed that the basic structure of the Council -an umbrella organization for more than 170 NGOs- sets it aside and defines its role based on its potential.

The purpose of LCW is not to be just another NGO. Its role is to provide direction and vision to the activities of its member organizations by coordinating their efforts and mobilizing their potential towards a common goal:
A Lebanon where all citizens -men and women- have equal rights and opportunities

Each of the member organizations of LCW has a specific agenda whether providing social, medical, or educational services. Many are active in the field of improving social awareness in relation to women causes including the issue of political and economic empowerment, and changing the social perception of the role of women. These grass root activities are essential and constitute the basis for improving women conditions in the Lebanese society.
LCW’s role in this instance is to provide the advisory and material support necessary to back its member’s activities especially in the fields of: women’s progress, their social well-being, or the respect of their rights.

On the national level, LCW -with its wide network of several thousands members spread geographically over the whole Lebanese territory and representing the cultural and ethnic diversity of Lebanon- has the potential to act as a catalyst to mobilize and effectively promote the current general objectives of the Lebanese feminine movement on the national level:
Working towards the modernization of laws that discriminate against women
Promoting the ratification of laws guaranteeing gender equity
Working on social awareness and changing the image of women
Working for the empowerment of women financially and politically

The Administrative Committee and the General Assembly stressed their ambition to, once again, play the role its founding mothers thought to achieve; a leader of the Lebanese women’s rights movement
 
Strategy and Plan of Action 2004 – 2008

The strategy of the Lebanese Council of Women for the period 2004-2008 -the mandate of the actual Administrative Committee- takes root in the definition of its purpose and role: coordination, vision, and leadership.
The Administrative body of LCW has put together a plan of action comprising a number of independent yet complementary projects that represent the priorities and objectives of the Council for the coming period.
The proposed strategy is multilayered based on a five track approach.
I Good governance and optimization of resources
Objectives and Priorities:
One of our main priorities is to capitalize on our potential by improving the coordination and networking between our member organizations in order to reach a better synergy of efforts.
Our objective is a coordination of resources that would enable us to provide the necessary support for the grass root initiatives of our member organizations that include a wide range of activities including social, medical, educational, and ecological services and awareness programs.
In parallel, an effective and flexible networking is the key to reaching and involving the largest number of women in all Lebanese regions whenever there is a need to mobilize our resources in order to promote any of our undertakings on a national level.
Achieving these goals necessitates the implementation of a plan of action including several projects aimed at improving our efficiency and modernizing our administrative structure.
Plan of Action comprising three separate projects
1. Indexing and archiving the information and documentation related to the organizations member of the LCW in order to improve the utilization of resources and to design a quicker and more efficient system of interaction between our members.
This involves on the practical level the undertaking of an internal survey, the upgrading of our computer system, and helping our member organizations to computerize their operations and get connected electronically.
2. Commissioning the design, set up, and maintenance of an interactive website will improve the capacity of LCW to reach and connect with a wider audience on the national and international levels.
3. On an organizational level the Council plans to make a better utilization of its resources. This involves a restructuring process (personnel, locals, and allocation of resources).
The outlines for these projects further include a summary of the project, a description, and a clear budget estimate.
 
II Achieving Gender Equality & Equity through the Rule of Law

Out of our belief that the rule of law is one of the pillars of building an equitable and fair society, one of our constant priorities has always been the amendment of the laws that discriminate against women and to promote the ratification of laws that empower women and give them the opportunity to be part of the decision making process.
The ratification and full implementation of The Conventions on the Eliminations of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) would constitute an ideal legal argument and basis for the modernization of laws. Sadly Lebanon took reservations on certain points related to the civil law when ratifying the Convention. LCW has been constantly calling for the removal of these reservations and the implementation of CEDAW in its entirety.
Objectives and Priorities:
1. One of our objectives is to modernize the laws in the Lebanese penal code that deal with all forms of violence against women. Many of these laws are archaic and do not correspond anymore to the Lebanese societal values.
Among these are the legislations on the violation of sexual integrity and other relevant regulations and measures. Another important set of legislation is those related to the prevention of violence against women.
2. Another objective related to the modernization of laws is to amend the civil and constitutional laws that deny women their full national identities and exclude them from the rights, privileges, and security of citizenship. Under these laws women are not recognized as equal citizens. The Lebanese nationality law is the most controversial in this instance.

Plan of action
Modernizing laws is an ambitious undertaking that requires a well designed multilayered plan of action comprising separate yet complementary projects that could be implemented consecutively or in parallel. These projects need to address as well the technical part and the worries and concerns of all social and religious groups in order to reach a national consensus. The final step would be to increase and improve popular awareness and acceptance of the values of gender equality and equity.
1. The formation of a special legal committee in charge of studying each of the laws that need modernization.
The committee will be constituted from the volunteer lawyers and judges member of the organization together with members of the judicial body who are willing to volunteer.
The committee will coordinate the work already covered by our member organizations and establish contact with all local and international organizations willing to contribute to the project.
The committee will be requested to issue a final recommendation report that will be the basis of the amendments requested.
2. National consensus
The Administrative Committee will seek the help of its member organizations in the quest towards achieving the widest national consensus in relation to the amendment of these laws. The consensus process involves meeting and discussing the issue with the various Lebanese religious leaders, the political parties and members of parliament concerned with this specific issue.
3. Popular awareness and public acceptance
Laws are effective by the force of their social acceptance. When laws contradict the values of the majority, they will not be properly implemented.
In the case of the laws related to violence against women and the violation of sexual integrity, the Lebanese society is well prepared to accept the amendments; however there will most probably be strong resistance from some ultraconservative circles which will need to be circumvented by an awareness campaign. In this instance the Council will call on the media to help promoting the cause.
The Council will also initiate a series of conferences and meetings that the organizations member of the LCW will undertake on the regional level.
The Council will need to provide training workshops to the volunteers who will lead and coordinate the discussions related to the amendments suggested.
4. The Nationality Law
The Nationality Law is one of the most controversial laws that LCW is working on modernizing.
Amending the Nationality law aims at closing the gender gap represented by the fact that Lebanese women cannot independently pass citizenship to their children while Lebanese men are automatically eligible to extend their nationality to their wives and children. This inequality denies women their right as citizens and children their basic rights as human beings.
The issue in this instance is not national consensus. Few are against the amendment as a matter of principle. The problem lies in the fear of the Lebanese public from opening the door to the nationalization of a large refugee population.
Furthermore, there is an underlying fear in the Lebanese society from a sudden shift in the highly sensitive religious and cultural balance of the country.
The challenge facing LCW is to address the question of how to circumvent these fears.
 
III Women’s Participation in the Political Decision-Making Process

Objective
One of LCW constant objectives is to call for the ratification of laws that promote a more active participation of women in political life.
The Council believes that women ought to be considered as a minority whose rights need to be protected by a system of proportional representation in administrative and elected bodies the same as other Lebanese minorities.

Justification
Protective legislation for women has been a controversial issue throughout the history of the women’s rights movement. Opponents of protective legislation have argued that special rules for women would inhibit women’s struggle for equality with men and upheld stereotypes of women as weak and defenseless.
Yet it is a fact that throughout much of our history, deep-seated cultural beliefs allowed women only limited roles in society. Historically, Lebanese women have been denied their civil rights in suffrage (they were unable to vote until a 1953 constitutional amendment), employment, and other areas.
Although women have gained significant legal rights, and made gains in certain trades and professions, including financial services, medicine, and law, but problems remain in many areas and women’s share in governmental decision-making remains limited.
Given that the state has a positive role in ensuring all citizens equal protection under the law and equal opportunity to exercise the privileges of citizenship and otherwise to participate fully in national life, regardless of race, religion, sex, or other characteristics unrelated to the worth of the individual, the Lebanese state is called upon to remedy the effects of past discrimination against women.
This can only be achieved in a timely manner by giving women the protection that sectarian minority groups get according to the Lebanese constitution, a proportional representation in elected bodies.
It is true that minority groups are usually groups of people sharing common ethnic, racial, or religious backgrounds, especially when constituting a comparatively small proportion of a given population, yet differences between diverse elements of the population can become more pronounced, causing inequalities through discrimination thus forming minority groups based on gender or any other human specificity.
Lebanese women fit this definition and ought to call on the state to ratify reverse-discrimination laws.
 
Plan of Action:
The Council is aware that this is a very ambitious objective.
More than 100 countries worldwide have no female members in their legislative bodies and women constitute approximately 9 percent of parliamentary representatives in industrialized countries and 12 percent in developing countries.
Lebanon is no exception. Lots need to be achieved in order to overcome the stereotype that considers women to be better suited for childbearing and homemaking rather than for involvement in public life or politics.

The Council has a solid base to start from. During 2002 a project titled “political involvement of Lebanese women” was conducted by LCW and supported by the European Union. It constitutes a solid base to develop upon.

1. Working towards changing the outdated attitudes toward the role of women in society through children publications, and media broadcast
Changing the social perception of an issue is a tedious and long term struggle. Targeting those who have not yet a preconceived approach can be quite effective. Children soak information without preconceptions. It is important to work on making sure that children books and school books do not restrict the role of women to motherhood and housework. Stories about women presidents, war heroes, or any other leadership role can form the minds of young boys and girls to accept the presence of women in decision-making positions. The same goes for cartoons and children’s movies.

It is important to note that this project is not restricted to the aspect of the role of women in society, but can be developed to include all the concepts that LCW promotes.

2. Awareness: Seminars, conferences, grass root action via our regional organizations, and media campaigns.
This entails training the volunteers in charge of organizing the seminars and discussion sessions.
In addition to paid media campaigns the council will have to mobilize the women already working in the media and enlist their help in giving exposure to the benefits of having women participating in the political decision-making process.

3. Elections: Supporting and encouraging more women to seek elected positions by providing logistic support and legal advice.
This entails lobbying with the various Lebanese parties, calling on them to present more women for parliament and local council and municipal elections.
The Council is also consider the possibility of having some its members running for local, municipal, and parliamentarian elections on the basis of an electoral platform that stresses women’s rights beside national issues.

4. Alliance and a Broad Front: The Council will try to coordinate its efforts with the parties and political movements that have accepted to promote the issue of advancing women’s participation in the political decision-making process.
 
IV The Active Participation of Women in Economic Life and Development
In Lebanon, popular view of the role of women in the workforce differs from one region to another and varies from one social class to another.
In cities, due to economic necessity working women became a fait accompli, accepted by society. They are advancing within the banking and some other sectors faster than men. The problem begins at the management level where women are few. At the CEO level they are inexistent except in family owned businesses.
In rural areas and the less developed Lebanese regions, working women are accepted when they are unmarried or widowed. The overwhelming belief remains that the place of women is at home, taking care of their husbands and children.
When starting their own small businesses, Lebanese women are generally doing well. The gender issue is not pronounced. Women entrepreneurs are accepted by society. They get the backing of their families. Parents willingly help to guard the children when these women are away from home. The success stories are many.
The social acceptance of women entrepreneur can be attributed to a number of factors, the most important of which is the fact that most micro projects are homegrown and mostly home-based. This gives women the flexibility to be available for her family needs and thus fulfill her traditional role. Another factor is that self-employment in the minds of those who view women as vulnerable protects them from rubbing shoulders with men in authority positions and protects them from harassment.
Financial empowerment of women through micro projects may be acceptable to the reactionary circles for all the wrong reasons; however LCW considers that it is an opportunity that should not be ignored or taken lightly.

Objectives
Out of our belief that sustainable development cannot be achieved without the active participation of women in the economic life, one of our priorities is to continue providing women with the possibilities of vocational and professional training and encouraging the creation of micro projects where women can exercise their entrepreneurship potential.
This is being carried out by our member organizations who can better evaluate the needs of each region and or social group they are active within. Our role is to advise, coordinate and help to raise the necessary resources for such projects.
Plan of action
1. Professional Training:
Member NGOs communicate to LCW the urgent needs and priorities of the regions where they are active. These requests usually vary from IT literacy workshop aiming at helping working women improve their job description to literacy programs. Also in demand is vocational training in subject as varied as hair dressing, nursing, tailoring, or cooking. Foreign language classes are also high on the priorities of our NGOs.
LCW groups the requests according to the services requested, checks its volunteer data banks to insure the technical expertise, designs the programs, provides the organizational system, and works on raising necessary funds.
This entails the formation of a task force that would be in charge of
? generating and distributing the necessary questionnaire and collecting information from member organizations
? updating our data bases and matching the requests with the available technical expertise
? seeking the help of specialized association to design and execute the training programs and workshops
? administratively coordinating the whole process
? make note of the problems faced and include them in a report evaluating the experience for the sake of better efficiency

2. Entrepreneurship & self-employment:
Work on helping women to get involved in micro projects. This is carried out in cooperation with various international funds providing this service. The role of LCW is advisory, offering legal, administrative, and financial management services.
In order to provide the professional advice needed, LCW will proceed to form an advisory workgroup constituted of volunteer businesswomen and economist (from between members of our NGOs).
LCW will also study the possibility of organizing workshops and seminars that would address the promotion of entrepreneurial skills formation.

3. Awareness:
Working on improving the social impression about working women by intensive use of seminars, media exposure, and publications- as previously proposed in the case of changing the stereotyping of women regarding political involvement.
LCW will try to get the endorsement of the Lebanese banking sector for this project. LCW could encourage banks to grant small loans to women by issuing female-friendly awards to those banks that endorse the project.
 
V How to implement our strategy and realize our plan of action
Realizing our plan of action entails securing the human and financial resources necessary for bringing about the completion of the suggested projects.
LCW will work to fully mobilize its women volunteer potential and to make use of the locales of its member organizations.
LCW will seek to widen its member base and improve its human and financial resources.
Here it is important to stress that the strategy adopted for the coming four years has been designed in a multilayered fashion that permits the implementation of each part of the general plan of action separately and as such each project has an independent Abstract and Budget.
This implies that our friends and partners may chose to support a project of their choice or part of a project of their choice, noting that for each of these projects there is the possibility to opt for direct funding, funding in kind, helping in research and exchange of information, or advisory and technical support.
The Lebanese Council of Women needs the support of all its friends on the national, regional, an international level to advance the cause of women’s rights.
Plan of Action
1. Seek Governmental support and funding though a campaign aiming to have LCW declared “a public utility organization” with all the rights and benefits that comes with this designation.
LCW will also call on the concerned authorities to help promote women’s rights by granting LCW the right to use “public announcement” time and/or space.
2. Seek Local support by coordinating efforts with the concerned Lebanese civil societies, political parties, unions, leagues, and associations seeking alliances and the formation of the broadest possible front to serve our ambitious plan.
3. Seek Local donations and support to our strategy from our many Lebanese friends and potential donors interested or active in promoting and supporting women’s rights.
4. Seek foreign support and funding by presenting our strategy to Arab and International Organizations, and the governments and NGOs of friendly nations.
5. Fund raising events:
Cultural events including artistic performances from local and foreign artists ready to donate their time
Dinners, fairs, and flea markets where the products and service are donated by our members and those who support them
Sale events especially for artisan products supplied by our member organizations