18/02/2026
The Lebanese Foundation for Permanent Civil Peace (LFPCP) and the Ministry of Economy and Trade (MoET), have organized a National Roundtable Meeting on Monday, February 16, 2026, on the topics of “1) Mechanisms to Re-activate the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and 2) Pension System Reform.” The event was held in the conference room at Grand Serail in Beirut, and brought together at the opening session, Norwegian Ambassador in Lebanon H.E. Hilde Haraldstad, Minister of Economy and Trade H.E. Dr. Amer Bsat, and Dr. Antoine Messarra from LFPCP.
The 1st Panel was titled: Mechanisms to Re-activate the Special Economic Zones (SEZs). It was moderated by MP Dr. Fadi Alame, and included the Minister of Technology H.E. Dr. Kamal Shehade, Minister of Industry H.E Mr. Joe Issa el Khoury, Minister of Telecom H.E. Mr. Charles Hage, and the head of the parliamentary committee on commerce and trade H.E. Dr. Farid Boustany.
The 2nd Panel was titled: Mechanisms for Pension System Reform. It was moderated by MP H.E. Alain Aoun, and included the Minister of Labor H.E. Dr. Mohammad Haidar, Minister of Social Affairs H.E. Mrs. Haneen El Sayed, and the regional representative of ILO in MENA Mrs. Ruba Jaradat.
Also Dr. Hassan Dennaoui Chair of TSEZ had provided a detailed presentation on the Tripoli Special Economic Zone, and Mr. Sami Zoughaib had provided a detailed presentation on the reforms needed for the Pension System in Lebanon.
A number Ministers, Parliamentarians, representatives of governmental entities, judges, lawyers, chambers of commerce, entrepreneurs, business leaders, experts, academia and civil society organizations participated and contributed at the discussions of the workshop.
This National Roundtable Meeting was organized within the framework of the project titled "National Policy Dialogues for Reforms: Socio-Economic Policy Dialogue in Lebanon. This project is with the support of the Norwegian Embassy in Lebanon.