All over the world, and particularly in the MENA, neoliberal economies and states are witnessing cycles of movements protesting the shrinking social and economic rights, pauperisation: from Chili, to Greece, passing by Hong Kong, Jordan, and Lebanon, protestors have brought back to the forefront of public debates the social question, and more practically, demands of citizenship, and social justice, and protection. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, while slowing the physical movement of protestors, has however heightened the impact of policies of austerity and shrinking public funds for social policies and reforms. It has also shed light on structural causes of inequalities that affect all populations in the region, including non-citizens, and on the necessity to advocate for a conception of the social contract that is redistributive, inclusive, human rights and social justice based. More recently, Jordan has been witnessing a wave of protests following the shutting down of the Teachers Syndicate, and the freezing of the public sector salary raises following the outbreak of the Covid19 pandemic. In addition, the blast that destroyed Beirut on August 4th, 2020 brought to light the urgent need for social justice and accountability, beyond the very necessary first response of emergency and relief.
The webinar aims at discussing social justice and social contracts in the Middle East, a region that is also witnessing one of the largest-scale displacements in history. It will reflect on aid interventions, by exploring the formulation of (new) social contracts, based on greater social inclusion of non-nationals, for the provision of social justice for all.
Speakers:
- Dr. Rana Jawad (University of Bath)
- Samar Muhareb (Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development)
Date and time: Thursday 3 September 2020 at 3pm - Beirut time
This event will be held in Arabic.
The webinar will be hosted on zoom. The registration link will be sent via email.
To register and submit your questions to the panelists, please fill in this form before 31 August 2020: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSczsySWF6vMbaT1We3tPYWYS7pbhTqZy4MuVf1py06gWVF-TQ/viewform
