Lebanese Youth Stepping Out of the Shadows

When Lebanon’s Minister of Economy and Trade Sami Haddad launched a new consumer protection campaign during a public address last month in Beirut, he may have felt one pair of eyes in the audience watching him particularly closely.

And he’s not alone.  These days, each of Lebanon’s ministers has a university student acting like a shadow, monitoring his or her decisions as part of the MEPI-funded “Youth Shadow Government” (YSG) project now in its second year in Lebanon.

Created by the Nahar Ashabab Foundation, YSG enables students to experience democracy in action while promoting good governance and public transparency.  Shadow ministers follow political developments, debate alternate options for the decisions made by real ministers, and explain the process both to their university colleagues and to the general public through a weekly supplement Nahar Ashabab published in the popular An-Nahar Newspaper devoted to youth issues.

Nahar Ashabab Association was founded after the December 2005 assassination of An-Nahar editor and publisher Gebran Tueni, a Member of Parliament (MP) and one of the leaders of Lebanon’s Cedar Revolution.  Tueni had begun plans for the Shadow Government, which his daughter Nayla and other members of the family have carried out since his death as a tribute and a way to support the younger generation in bringing about key reforms.

Toward this end, efforts are made to have the YSG act like a true government.  Meetings are held every week at the Nahar Building, with sessions chaired by a shadow minister acting as the prime minister.  At the close of each session, a committee composed of three ministers and secretary general draft parallel decisions, which are published in An-Nahar and other Lebanese newspapers.

In addition to these meetings, YSG members participate in training sessions on such topics as leadership, team building, communication strategy, and understanding political institutions.  Shadow ministers also have the opportunity to meet with their real counterparts in the Lebanese government, some of whom have offered to adopt projects that come out of the YSG meetings.

Minister Haddad’s consumer protection project was launched in cooperation with the youth shadow government, whose members are being trained to advocate for consumer rights and play a role in public administration.  As Haddad said during his address: “The Ministry is looking at ways in which those trained would use their time to participate directly in the Consumer Protection Unit’s activities.”

Meanwhile, the youth minister shadowing the Minister of Education has been working with a network of non-governmental organizations to help organize awareness sessions on drugs, violence, and discrimination in Lebanese public schools.

On January 25, YSG members announced their ministerial declaration before Lebanon’s parliament, with MPs from several political parties in attendance.  One of the shadow ministers read the declaration, which called for a free, independent, and sovereign state, and led to an open debate with members of the audience.

During the event, which was covered by Lebanese television and a number of leading newspapers, one MP recommended that the shadow ministers prepare their proposals and submit them to the parliamentary committees for discussion.