This session is part of the virtual discussion series “Housing Uncertainties, Financial Crisis, and Social Protections”, co-organized by

  • the Beirut Urban Lab (BUL)
  • Habitat for Humanity Urban Housing Practitioners Hub MENA (UHPH-MENA)
  • Habitat for Humanity Lebanon National Programme
  • United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Lebanon Country Programme
  • Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

The series took place on every Tuesday throughout June 2023.

The virtual discussion series explored comparatively questions at the intersection of housing uncertainties and financial crises. The online event further probed the possibilities afforded by social protection schemes to respond to the increasingly dire living conditions of today’s urban majorities.

This fourth and final session consists of two roundtable discussions with social policy experts and public sector/NGOs respectively.

The first roundtable (SP Experts) featured

  • Zina Nimeh (Associate Professor of Social Protection and Public Policy, UNU-MERIT and Maastricht University)
  • Rana Jawad (Reader in Social Policy, University of Bath)
  • Hania Sholkamy (Professor of Anthropology, American University of Cairo)
  • Sami Zoughaib (Economist and Research Manager, The Policy Initiative)
  • Farah Al-Shami (Policy and Development Economist, Arab Reform Initiative) as moderator.

The second roundtable (public sector & NGOs) featured

  • Salma Yousry (Urban Development Programme Manager, UN-Habitat ROAS)
  • Rony Lahoud (Chairman and General Director, Public Corporation for Housing, Lebanon)
  • May Abdel Hamid (CEO, Social Housing and Mortgage Finance Fund, Egypt)
  • Nanor Karageozian (Urban Analysis and Policy Unit Manager, UN-Habitat Lebanon)
  • Fouad Bejjani (Shelter and WASH Project Manager, Norwegian Refugee Council Lebanon)
  • Samar Farhat (HLP & Urban Recovery Consultant, Habitat for Humanity Lebanon National Program) as moderator.