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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 000378 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/YERGER/GAVITO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID LE PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: LEBANON: YOUTH BECOME POLITICALLY ACTIVE THROUGH 
MEPI SHADOW GOVERNMENT PROGRAM 
 
 
SUMMARY 
--------- 
 
¶1. (U) Lebanon's Youth Shadow Government (YSG) is a Middle 
East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) funded program designed to 
place college level individuals in the different GOL 
ministries to serve as shadow ministers.  EmbOffs held a 
reception to welcome the participants in December 2007 and 
have been following the group's progress.  The shadow 
ministers are excited about participating in this program. 
However, a number of the participants have expressed their 
pessimism about the ability of politically active youth to 
change the current political situation in Lebanon.  The 
majority of the shadow ministers felt that they could not be 
taken seriously in the field of politics without being a 
member of one of the main political parties.  The new 
ministers added that many Lebanese youth were leaving Lebanon 
due to the inability to get jobs without relying on political 
connections.  They all pointed out that this was the primary 
appeal of the YSG; it provides them with a way to be 
politically active, but independent of the powerful and 
archaic political machines in Lebanon.  End Summary. 
 
YOUTH SHADOW GOVERNMENT PROGRAM 
--------- 
 
¶2. (U) The MEPI funded Youth Shadow Government (YSG), 
provides Lebanese public and private university students with 
an opportunity to experience the Lebanese democratic 
political process in action.  YSG encourages political 
involvement while promoting paradigms of good governance, 
anti-corruption and public transparency.  The shadow 
government monitors political developments occurring on the 
national level and acts as an unofficial watchdog over the 
government's performance.  This entails monitoring each 
ministry, explaining to their university colleagues and the 
public at large to the government's performance, and debating 
alternate options for the decisions that were made by the 
government. 
 
¶3. (U) MEPI's local partner for this program is the Nahar Ash 
Shabab Foundation, which was founded after the December 2005 
assassination of MP Gebran Tueni, Member of Parliament and 
editor/publisher of the An-Nahar newspaper.  His daughter 
Nayla and other members of the Tueni family formed this 
foundation to honor Tueni's belief in the potential of the 
younger generations to bring about change.  A leader of the 
Cedar Revolution, he began plans for the Shadow Government 
program, which came to fruition after his death. 
 
LAUNCHING THE SECOND YEAR OF THE YSG 
----------- 
 
¶4. (U) During a reception organized by MEPI Emboffs, the 
2007-2008 shadow ministers expressed their excitement at 
being involved in the YSG.  However, many of the shadow 
ministers told MEPI Emboffs that they were dismayed at the 
inability of politically active youth to escape from 
Lebanon's traditional party politics - a model which they do 
not believe reflects the interests of the majority of their 
peers.  The YSG programs contains a number of elements 
designed to empower these young leaders.  Since the beginning 
of the current session in November 2007, YSG members have 
attended training sessions discussing teamwork, political 
institutions, leadership and negotiation skills, report 
writing, public budgeting, and persuasive communication. 
 
¶5. (U) Though the current political deadlock in Lebanon has 
affected the YSG's range of "shadow activities" with the 
ministers, the YSG continues to meet as a group weekly to 
discuss the Siniora cabinet's upcoming agenda items and to 
comment or debate the issues.  YSG cabinet "decisions" are 
published in the An-Nahar newspaper's weekly supplement 
devoted to youth issues.  A few YSG members have shared with 
us their duties in the ministries.  At the Ministry of 
Education, the YSG participant is working with a network of 
NGO's to help organize awareness sessions on drugs, violence 
and discrimination in a variety of Lebanese public schools. 
At the Minister of Economy, the YSG participant is working to 
reactivate and expand the Consumer Protection Department 
which is severely understaffed.  In support of this 
initiative, the Ministry has agreed to form a work-study 
program for university students to focus on this issue. 
 
 
BEIRUT 00000378  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6. (U) The YSG is also becoming more well-known in Lebanon. 
They have held several media events in the last few months, 
including a two-hour appearance in February on NTV's show 
"Al-Fassad."  An-Nahar continues to devote space to the 
program's achievements in their weekly youth supplement. 
 
FRANK TALK WITH THE YSG MEMBERS 
-------------- 
 
¶7. (U) During their meeting with EmbOffs, this group spoke 
confidently on a wide range of topics.  Ramzi Teeni, the 
shadow Agriculture Minister, said there is a lack of 
motivation and increased pessimism that persists amongst 
politically active youth in Lebanon these days.  The youth 
cannot be independent.  Sireen Abu Zein, the shadow 
Archeology Minister, said youth not aligned with big 
political parties in Lebanon do not want to become involved 
in politics because they do not have the ability to make an 
impact.  Abdel Aziz Saad, the shadow Justice Minister, added 
that the political parties do not even allow the youth within 
there own parties, to have their voices heard and that there 
is an inability to criticize the existing leadership of 
political parties. 
 
¶8. (U) Razi Hajj, the shadow Economy and Trade Minister, said 
that over half of the educated Lebanese youth live and work 
abroad, mainly in the Gulf, while others prefer to attend 
college in the U.S. and Europe.  Saad added that the 
Christian/Lebanese youth living in the Gulf especially 
dislike the expat lifestyle there because the social night 
life cannot compare to Beirut.  They are only there to find 
jobs and earn money.  Hajj said this effect was the result of 
the political instability that exists in Lebanon and the 
inability to be independent politically and to find 
non-politically connected jobs.  Hajj noted that most jobs 
available to young professionals are gained by what is 
commonly known as "wasta" or a connection of sorts with 
someone who has the ability to get the applicant the position 
he or she wants.  According to Hajj, these connections are 
mostly political in nature.  Zein, who lives in the Chouf 
region, offered her own personal example.  When she applied 
for a job and went for an interview, the person conducting 
the interview told Zein to obtain a letter written by her 
father that has the recommendation of the dominant political 
party in the Chouf region, Progressive Socialist Party leader 
Walid Jumblatt. 
 
¶9. (U) The youth at this event said they hoped the YSG 
program would be a way to become politically active without 
having to align themselves with one of the main Lebanese 
political parties.  Jessica Azar, the Youth and Sports 
Minister described the YSG group as being autonomous.  Azar 
also said the majority of the YSG ministers want Lebanese 
youth to put Lebanon and being Lebanese first, before their 
sectarian community, which is not the case today.  The youth 
shadow ministers want some type of shared common goals, 
according to Azar. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶10. (U) This current group of shadow minister is genuinely 
excited and ready to get involved as much as possible in the 
day to day operations of their individual ministries.  Many 
of them bounce ideas off one another to discuss "best 
practices" at their individual ministries.  Through their 
roles as monitors and liaisons between the community and the 
GOL ministries, the YSG ministers want to make a positive 
change in Lebanon without getting involved in the 
partisan/sectarian politics that plagues Lebanon today. 
 
¶11. (U) The local partner, Nahar Ash Shabab Foundation, has 
proved to be an effective and responsible partner.  Nayla 
Tueni has expressed her personal commitment to this program 
and looks forward to expanding the concept to include a 
"Shadow Parliament" in the future.  Post strongly supports 
continued and even increased funding for this MEPI 
initiative.  End Comment. 
SISON