Message of the President
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We have the pleasure to give you a brief insight about L.I.B.A.N.:
L.I.B.A.N. is the first national and sole international young Lebanese businesspersons association (a non political, non profit based organization) that aims to:
1- Create an interaction between the leading young Lebanese businesspersons in Lebanon and around the world and with the top local young businesspersons of each country.
2- Reinforce economic and commercial relations between Lebanon and countries of Lebanese emigration contributing thus to create the first ever Lebanese international business lobby.
3- Attract investments to Lebanon and to those countries in return.
L.I.B.A.N. is an international business network that provides its members with the most prominent business contacts in the countries wherein we have established chapters. This provides them with new markets and therefore new investments opportunities to expand their businesses.
L.I.B.A.N. is becoming a powerful business lobby that liaises between potential investors and governments to grant them facilities and to promote a good investment environment.
Can you imagine the economic power of a network grouping the leading businesspersons of Lebanese origin, knowing that the Lebanese emigrants are among the wealthiest and most powerful businessmen in the world! Our network consists of Lebanese members as well as the top local businesspersons of every country. We think that what the Lebanese diaspora lacks in order to be much more powerful is Solidarity and that is what we are precisely building.
L.I.B.A.N. is a very selective association that only groups as a start THE TOP 5 to 10 leading Lebanese young businesspersons (or of Lebanese origin), as well as THE TOP 5 to 10 local businessperson of each country (as guest members) into a foreign chapter that is honorably presided by the Lebanese Ambassador in the specified country and the Consul as honorary member.
A coordinator for the chapter is then appointed; his task is to coordinate between the foreign chapters of L.I.B.A.N. and the Lebanese committee based in Lebanon. This committee gathers the leading 5 to 10 Lebanese businesspersons, based in Lebanon, who own important investments in the specified country and is honorably presided by the accredited Ambassador in Lebanon with the Commercial Counselor as honorary member. (N.B. The age limit for members is 20's - 50’s).
We have opened so far 11 chapters in the MENA region (Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Turkey, Cyprus, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria) and are currently working on opening others in the rest of the Arab region. We also have coordinators working on opening new chapters in the USA (we have now chapters under constitution in New York, Washington, Kansas, Los Angeles), France, Belgium, Switzerland, Ukraine, Russia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Poland, England, Japan, Australia, Mexico. Hopefully, this will enable us to give back to Lebanon its strategic role of hub between the West and a market of 300 million Arabs.
L.I.B.A.N. has launched few years ago, in the presence of the President of the Republic the First Arab Forum for young entrepreneurs associations. This Arab forum represents 15 Arab countries through their national young entrepreneurs associations, and aims to cover soon the 22 Arab countries. We meet every few months in a different country, and our main objective is boosting economic and commercial relations among Arab countries, through bringing together their young entrepreneurs. Please note that L.I.B.A.N. received an award from the President of the Republic for this achievement.
L.I.B.A.N. has also co-launched in February 2010 in Italy the "MAME YE Network" (Middle East Africa and Mediterranean Network of Young Entrepreneurs Associations) which held previous meetings in Spain, Egypt and will hold its fourth meeting in Lebanon on September 30th and October 1st, 2011.