Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) Lebanon and Syria marked the 60th anniversary of the foundation at STATION, Jisr El Wati, with three major events under one banner ‘The Three 60 Day’ to showcase their ideas and to reflect, engage and celebrate in the spirit in which FNF is operating in Lebanon.
The Beirut event was collectively named ‘The Three 60 Day’, in a title that denoted not only the number of events and the six-decade milestone reached, but also the foundation’s philosophy of adopting a holistic, progressive and digital approach to its activities.
Two panel discussions kick-started the day, at which issues central to the foundation’s ethos were debated, followed by an official reception hosted by the Lebanese actor and TV presenter Tony Abou Jaoudeh, and a party until the early morning hours with music by DJ Marc Pick from Berlin.
In addition, a Berlin-style exhibition of artworks specially commissioned for the occasion that reflected both the FNF and its work, took place in parallel.
The reception was attended by Minister Jamal Al-Jarrah representing Prime Minister Saad Hariri, MP Fouad Makhzoumi, German Ambassador to Lebanon Dr. George Berglin, Secretary General of Liberal International Gordon McKay, Head of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom of Lebanon and Syria Dirk Kunz, and a special appearance direct from Germany via hologram for Christian Lindner, Chairman of the Free Democratic Party and Board Member of FNF.
Dirk Kunze commented at the event: “Freidrich Naumann Foundation’s raison d’être comes from the theory of liberal democracy… that assumes that democracy cannot function without politically informed and educated citizens… In 1958, FNF was the foundation for liberty and education. In 2018, FNF became the foundation for Freedom and Innovation.”
Christian Lindner said: “In Germany and Lebanon, we are facing the same challenges… it is the time to join forces, to strengthen our ties and to spread liberal values.” He wished everyone a great evening and saluted Garage 664 team which work, according to Linder “is highly recognized… in Germany”.
Beirut Market Economy Forum 2018
The first panel under the topic “Is corruption a social behaviour or an outcome of political and economic defect?” was presented within the “Beirut Market Economy Forum 2018”. It was the grand final of the “Freedom Academy”, an annual FNF academy that brings together Youth from the Liberal political parties in Lebanon to discuss Liberal issues within the fields of politics and economy, organized this year with the Lebanese Transparency Association (LTA).
Key issues were raised such as success stories on how to combat corruption, and data and facts related to corruption were also presented, noting that Lebanon ranked 143rd in the Corruption Perception Index for 2017 out of 180 countries, according to Transparency International. Lebanon also ranked 127th in the world’s Internet speed index of 130 countries with an average download speed of 6.22 Mbps (Source: Speedtest.com) and 95th out of 102 countries in terms of pollution (Source: Numbeo.com).
Rights Keepers
Under the patronage of the Minister of Interior and Municipalities Nouhad Machnouk, represented by Dr. Khalil Jabbara, in addition to the presence of the representative of the Director general of Internal Security Forces, General Marcelino Farah, the representative of the Lebanese Armed Forces Commander, Brigadier General Said El Kazzi, and the representative of the General Director of the Lebanese General Security, Colonel Najm Al Ahmadieh, the second discussion panel themed “Rights Keepers” raised the issue of Human Rights and Security and answered questions such as: “How can Human Rights and Security meet? How can Human Rights international standards feed national insecurities?”
One of the objectives of this panel was to shed the light on the Internal Security Forces new strategy in which the police forces are no longer perceived as Security Keepers but rather as “Rights Keepers”.
This panel was organized by FNF Lebanon and Syria and the Lebanese Organization for Defending Equality and Rights (LOUDER) to address challenges in protecting human rights while dealing with insecurity in Lebanon.
Both debates were attended by high-level VIP participants, including politicians and other dignitaries.
About The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF)
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) is a creative platform for innovation, with the aim of enhancing the values and goals of liberalism worldwide. From its establishment until now, FNF grew constantly and became a globally-operating NGO. In April 2007, the foundation´s name was extended by “for Freedom” to underline the concept of “Marketing for Freedom” worldwide. Today, the label “for Freedom” is widely associated with successful projects.
FNF promotes liberal thinking and liberal policies in cooperation with her local partners through activities of civic education, international political dialogue, and political counseling. Our civic education activities consist of seminars, conferences, hackathons, innovation forums and publications aimed at promoting liberal values and policies, empowering entrepreneurs and engaging citizens to exercise their rights of political participation. We also provide scholarships for talented individuals. The headquarters are located in the city of Potsdam and we maintain offices all over Germany together with project offices in over 60 countries worldwide.