• UNITAR alumna Karmen Chebib is Head of the Information and Public Relations Unit at the Center for Educational Research and Development, Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Lebanon.
• Karmen Chebib recently completed UNITAR's Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) training programme.
• Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Karmen led her unit in training teachers on how to counteract gender stereotypes and encountered all kinds of attitudes and practices. 
• Karmen is applying what she learned in the programme to her work. In her organization, she developed a proposal for a gender-related project using the structured approach taught in the GEWE programme.

Lebanese women and girls find themselves navigating a societal landscape of deeply entrenched gender stereotypes – values that vary widely by region. Karmen points out that even teachers perpetuate bias. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Karmen led her unit in training teachers on how to counteract gender stereotypes and encountered all kinds of attitudes and practices. In some places, girls were married off at an early age. Women were denied their inheritance, and violence against women was condoned.

Karmen tries to change such views by giving concrete local examples and by questioning the values. 

I give them examples from that from that community because I know – it's my country. When someone told me ‘It's okay if I don't get an inheritance from my parents’, I said ‘Why?’"

While Lebanon’s cultural and religious diversity makes it challenging to tailor effective interventions for each community, and despite Lebanon’s serious economic crises, the influx of refugees and volatility in the Middle East, Karmen stresses the urgent need to address gender-based violence and elevate awareness to foster a more equitable society.

Karmen assumed the role of the gender focal point for her department in 2012 and was nominated to join the first phase of the UNITAR GEWE programme in 2021. Through the programme, Karmen hoped to broaden her knowledge and gain fresh perspectives on addressing the complex challenges related to gender.

The UNITAR GEWE programme was launched in 2021 with the support of the Cypriot Government and UN Women. It aimed to build the capacity of government officials responsible for gender issues in Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon so that they could better develop and implement their respective national action plans for gender equality.

The programme was extended to phase two in 2022 and phase three in 2023.

Karmen urges fellow professionals and women working for women’s empowerment to actively embrace training opportunities and become advocates. She underscores the power of collective efforts in challenging stereotypes, breaking down barriers and creating a more inclusive and equal society that benefits everyone.

Karmen’s commitment serves as a call for a more equitable and just society and reminds us all of the power each individual holds to make a meaningful difference.