NNA - Yesterday, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) honored the former Director General of Lebanese General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim.
He was welcomed by the Permanent Representative of the International Human Rights Committee and the International Council at the United Nations, Ambassador Haitham Bou Saeed, who stated that Major General Ibrahim has become an honorary member of the Presidential Council of the Human Rights Council.
Bou Saeed remarked, "We have been collaborating with Major General Ibrahim on human rights issues since 2011." Bou Saeed presented a certificate of appreciation to Major General Ibrahim in recognition of his efforts. Major General Ibrahim also participated in a seminar yesterday titled "Defining Human Rights in Lebanon: Rights and Duties," organized by the Antonine Technical Institute in collaboration with the Committee on Freedoms and Community Security and the International Human Rights Council accredited by the United Nations, specifically "Ecosoc."
The seminar was attended by the Director of the Antonine Technical Institute, Father Charbel Bou Abboud, and several other notable figures.
Major General Ibrahim stated: "(...) How can Lebanon not be a country of protected rights and freedoms, when it participated in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with Lebanese Ambassador to the United Nations Charles Malik contributing to its formulation?" He added: "It is unfortunate that the current economic and social situation in Lebanon has led citizens to yearn for their basic rights, which are guaranteed by the constitution, law, and covenants, and that these rights are exploited during election seasons to gain power. It is regrettable that a person is made to feel that their right to a dignified life is a favor."
He pointed out: "Despite Lebanon's ratification of all these agreements and covenants, Lebanese citizens have lacked the most basic human rights to live in dignity and social security, and to enjoy economic prosperity, which is fundamental to human rights, since independence until today.
On the political front, as I previously mentioned, citizens' rights do not pass through state institutions but through parties and leaders. If we broaden our view on our regional security, the right to legitimate defense of the land against occupation is still subject to conflicting perspectives that need firmness and decisiveness.
One of the main rights is for the state to have a head and a fully empowered government, and we in Lebanon are living in a presidential vacuum, where the state is without a head and the work of constitutional institutions is irregular, causing confusion in the work of all state institutions and departments, which are all linked to citizens' rights. This makes the formation of a fully empowered government an urgent matter after electing a president. Thus, in Lebanon, you read the legislations and international covenants and feel joy, but in reality, the situation is bleak.
Lebanon has the right to be sovereign over its decisions concerning the protection it provides to its citizens, especially with the presence of a large number of Syrians on its territory, where countries seem more concerned about their rights than the rights of Lebanese citizens.
Lebanon does not need to redraft its citizens' rights because the texts suffice, but what is needed is implementation."
Major General Ibrahim noted: "Only in Lebanon do we see a leader measured by the number of those who serve him, not the number of those he serves. And André Malraux says, 'To lead, you must serve first,' and I add that you must serve first and last and ensure the rights of citizens as a duty of your work, not as a service to market your name. Any work in serving citizens, especially concerning their rights to a dignified life, should not be contingent on a condition or restriction. Citizens' rights are absolute and immediate, and it is no longer acceptable to present flimsy excuses for failing to fulfill these commitments.
To return to the right path, Lebanon needs to reform issues such as education, health, and employment in light of rising unemployment rates as human rights issues. Delaying these reforms would encourage citizens to demand their government take actions and ensure minimum protection and begin holding the government accountable for not fulfilling its commitments.
If the state does not move to solve these problems, it is not only failing the Lebanese people and their basic needs but also violating its obligations under international law.
As for us as citizens, our rights are not absolute at all; otherwise, we deviate from all systems and laws and enter into the law of the strongest, and the saying 'I am strong, therefore I am right' instead of adhering to our citizenship by submitting to the logic 'I am right, therefore I am strong.'
Our first duty in this path is to respect the rights of others."
In the same context, Major General Abbas Ibrahim visited the icon-making workshop at the Antonine Technical Institute in Dekwaneh, where he was received by the institute's president, Father Charbel Bou Abboud, and the workshop director, Odile Chamoun, along with other instructors.
Major General Ibrahim was briefed on the stages of making religious icons, a craft mastered by the institute and used in churches and monasteries. Chamoun explained the theological meanings, spiritual, and religious values embedded in this sacred art through the use of colors, shapes, and lines in a way that reflects religious symbolism and cultural traditions. Notably, there were some children at the institute exploring this art, which begins with preparing the basic panel, often made of wood, covered with a layer of plaster, and then the artist draws the initial design using fine lines. Next, colors are applied skillfully and meticulously, focusing on important details and religious symbols. The tour concluded with commemorative photos of Major General Ibrahim with the students and instructors against a backdrop of icons of saints, the Last Supper, Saint Charbel, and others.
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