October 7, 2026
Minister of Labor, Mohamed Haidar, confirmed that Lebanon seeks to move the social protection file from the emergency response framework to the need to consider it an inherent right and a basic pillar for achieving decent work and ensuring economic stability, stressing that economic and security crises do not nullify workers’ rights, but rather double the necessity of protecting them.
Haider’s statements came during Lebanon’s speech at the “Doha Dialogue Conference” held in the Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam, where he highlighted the future of the labor market, social protection systems, and health coverage for workers, amid the increasing cross-border labor movement.
The Minister of Labor explained that social protection in Lebanon represents a pivotal element for the stability of the worker and his family, and an integral part of the resilience of the economy and society in the face of crises, pointing out that the Lebanese experience has proven that maintaining and developing social protection institutions remains an urgent national responsibility.
In the same context, he pointed out that strengthening the role of the National Social Security Fund, especially in the health coverage sector, represents a top priority. He explained that there are ongoing efforts to develop medical services, expand coverage, and include new treatments and services to reduce the burden of living on workers and their families.
Haider stressed that the process of reforming social protection goes beyond simply increasing the volume of services to include restoring trust between the worker and the institution, considering it a strategic investment in the human element and the stability of the labor market, and not just a financial burden.
Regarding the issue of labor migration and movement between countries, the Minister called for strengthening joint cooperation based on the exchange of experiences, strengthening institutional coordination, and benefiting from successful models, leading to a gradual treatment that guarantees workers’ social rights during their international movement.
Haider identified three main principles from which the future of social protection must be based: continuity, justice, and ease of access to services, in parallel with modernizing institutions to keep pace with the requirements of rapid transformations in the world of work.
He concluded by saying that “labor mobility should not only mean the worker moving from one opportunity to another, but it should also mean moving carrying with him his dignity, rights, and opportunity for a safer and more stable life.”
On the sidelines of the conference, the Minister of Labor held a bilateral meeting with the Qatari Minister of Labor, Ali bin Samikh Al Marri, during which the completion of the necessary executive steps to put the agreement signed between the two sides into effect was discussed. He also met with the Minister of Employment, Labor and Social Security in Sierra Leone, Muhammad Rahman Sawari, and the meeting dealt with organizing mechanisms for bringing Sierra Leonean domestic workers to Lebanon in a way that serves the strengthening of bilateral cooperation and guarantees the rights of both parties of production, including workers and employers.
