ISF ACADEMY, ARAMOUN – Thursday March 30th
For the first time and in collaboration with the EU-funded project “Promoting Community Policing in Lebanon”, the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) lead a multi-stakeholder dialogue session on the Lebanese Prison System at their premises in Aramoun, Lebanon.
This event took place to create a space for exchange and profound analysis of the current state of prisons and prisoners in the country and the main challenges faced by the security forces in the administration, primary healthcare services, and judiciary & legislature aspects of the system.
The dialogue started with an opening moderated session where speakers and spokespersons participated, representing the different stakeholders including FIIAPP, the EU delegation and Spanish Embassy, Judge Raja Abi Nader from Lebanon’s Ministry of Justice, the Head of the Human Rights Commission of the Lebanese Parliament, Dr. Michel Moussa, and the head of ISF Academy General Mouin Chehade.
Different Panel Presentations by key players and parties followed: Lt Colonel Bilal Omar presented the first panel tackling the challenges faced by the ISF in the area of prison management; while Ret. General Dr. Ibrahim Hanna presented the healthcare, and nutrition challenges in the light of the current crisis; Ms. Suzanne Jabbour highlighted the importance of Prisoner Rehabilitation and the role of civil society in that matter; and MP George Okais ended with his presentation about the challenges and opportunities related to the parliament and the judiciary.
The dialogue then proceeded with working groups formed to discuss each critical situation and its necessary rehabilitation and reintegration measures. These discussions were also presented to the participants at the end of the workshops.
This significant activity ended with a note about the objective of reaching strategic cooperation between all stakeholders, followed by a networking lunch where all the participants were invited to share thoughts and additional insights about the positive event.
This dialogue presented a unique opportunity for key players from diverse sectors, including civil society, academia, government agencies, and international organizations, to come together and discuss a subject that requires immediate attention and that must be urgently addressed by the Lebanese institutions and citizens of the country. The session also provided a platform for sharing experiences, best practices, and proposed future corrective actions between the different important participants including Alef, Abaad, Caritas, Restart, Adyan, Terre Liban, and Lebanon’s Bar associations, among others.
The event is part of the Community Policing project, an EU-funded initiative which aims to strengthen community policing in Lebanon and promote citizen participation in security-related issues.
The project works with the Internal Security Forces, civil society organizations, and communities across Lebanon to develop and implement community policing initiatives and enhance the security and safety of all citizens.