MEET DANALI

DANALI STORY

The name DANALI, in addition to its meaning in English, represents in Arabic the “Approach Me” action, which resembles the importance of extending help and support to all sectors of community.

The Development Association for Nurturing Arab Leadership and Innovation (DANALI) is a regional independent non-governmental entity and one of the growing regional civil society organizations operating in the Arab world. DANALI aims towards enhancing the wellbeing of Arab communities, primarily youth, through nurturing leadership skills and innovation initiatives on various social, intellectual and academic levels.
DANALI also works with individuals and groups in local communities to improve national policies and practices through providing the tools and mechanisms to fulfill the required change. The idea behind DANALI was born in July 2011, where it took the founding team 30 months to perform the necessary on-ground regional research in order to setup the concrete platform for operations which commenced in December 2013.

DANALI GOALS

We believe that investing in innovation will provide the longest and most effective dividend towards building social capacity for long-term sustainable development.

• 1. Providing Technical Assistance and Capacity Building in Leadership skills & innovative strategies.
• 2. Raising awareness on Intellectual Property Protection as a catalyst for innovation and growth.
• 3. Creating an adequate mechanism for the provision of Academic Sponsorship.
• 4. Exploring and introducing new talents and creative ideas.
• 5. Setting up a Leadership Platform in collaboration with specialised institutions.
• 6. Supporting Innovation initiatives especially among youth and women.
• 7. Enhancing the introduction of Financial Education and Literacy for Children and Youth.
• 8. Promoting Gender Equality and Empowering Women and entrepreneurship.
• 9. Organizing awareness campaigns in all related fields, namely Leadership and innovation.
• 10. Joining efforts with Academic and Medical institutions to raise funds for chronic diseases.
• 11. Partnering with int’l orgs, govs & private sec. in MENA to develop strategies for migration & remittances for development.
• 12. Collaborating with individuals and entities on projects of significant social and economic impact.

DANALI TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS

DANALI team of volunteers is comprised of a group of professionals operating in various fields and in different entities.The volunteers allocate time and energy to insure that DANALI’s objectives are met with diligence and precision.

• 1- Ali Zbeeb: Founder President
• 2- Dana Sleiman (MD): Vice President
• 3- Reda Saleh: Legal Adviser
• 4- Fatima Zbib: National Project Specialist
• 5- Randa Hinnawi: Communication Specialist
• 6- Tarek El Ess: IT Specialist / Web Designer
• 7- Naji Haddad: Regional Strategic Adviser
• 8- Carla Yammine: UAE Market Research Officer
• 9- Jad Tabaja: Project Coordinator
• 10- Amir Nabil: Global Adviser (Competition & IP)
• 11- Samar Sinno: Market Strategy Adviser
• 12- Malak Al Mustafa: Administrative Coordinator
• 13- Jiji Said: Fashion Talent Specialist
• 14- Dana Malli: Public Relations Officer
• 15- Ribal Bou Ajram: Research Officer
• 16- Zeina Hatoum: Youth Sector Assistant
• 17- Nadine Kansou: Administrative Assistant
• 18- Tala Malli: Social Media Coordinator
• 19- Mohamad Awada: IT Specialist
• 20- Huda Hamwieh: Regional Academic Adviser
• 21-Adel Zbib: Technical Trainer – Engineering & Construction
• 22- Mohamad Wehbe: Regional Market Adviser – Africa

Projects

PROJECTS| REMITTANCES & DEVELOPMENT / UN (ESCWA) | TURNBACK CRIME PROGRAM / INTERPOL | IP PROTECTION / THOMSON REUTERS | IFIGHT FUND (PID) / AUB | FINANCIAL INCLUSION FOR YOUTH / HCC (MOSA) | UAE PRIVATE SECTOR COSTS FOR IP PROTECTION / EIPA | AWARENESS CAMPAIGN ON GENERAL IP PROTECTION / EIPA|

Project (1): “Harnessing Migration & Remittances for Development in Arab Region”

Project Owner: United Nations – Economic & Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) / Economic Development and Globalisation Division – Lebanon
Project Brief:
The project mainly aims to strengthen capacities of government officials and financial institutions to formulate and adopt strategies, policies and programmes to tap part of expatriates’ savings to directly finance long term developmental projects in priority sectors to support the achievement of the SDGs in selected Arab states. This would be implemented through providing relevant technical support while working closely with policy makers.
The majority of the MENA countries are in desperate need for this initiative due to its direct impact on poverty reduction and reconstruction, due to numerous factors including but not limited to (i) Meeting the “Post 2015 Sustainable Development Goals”, (ii) Financing the USD $3.6 Trillion Financing Gap in the Arab Region, (iii) The Arab Region’s countries crave for sources to fill the abovementioned gap since 90% of the remittances go to consumption instead of economically sustainable sectors.
This project is providing a new approach that enhances the transfer of further remittance which is a new source for long term investment and different from the conventional financial sources and ideas related to remittances. The new initiative proposed by ESCWA can be an asset to the Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD) which is envisioned to become a global hub of knowledge and policy expertise on migration by 2018.
The Project has so far involved 11 Arab States, 4 of which are amongst the Least Developing. The progress has been remarkable where the project has so far produced 10 technical papers that were shared with policy makers and published, as well as holding a series of workshops that involved all stakeholders (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Investment Authority, Ministry of Migration, Central banks, banking institutions, NGOs) in Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan and Yemen. In addition and as a result of the project policy recommendations, policy makers decided to form National Committees to implement this initiative on ground in Lebanon, Sudan and Yemen.
Role and Contribution of DANALI in the Project:

• 1-Member and Coordinator of the ESCWA National Committee for Migration and Remittances of Lebanon.
• 2-Part of the mission conducted by ESCWA’s Economic Development and Globalisation Division to hold talks in Washington DC with the IMF and World Bank related to their involvement in the...
• 3-Part of the ESCWA’s pool of experts that rotates around the Project countries to effectively participate in regional and national events related to the Project.

Project Owner: INTERPOL (International Police)
Project Brief:
Turn Back Crime is a campaign to raise awareness about the organized, transnational criminal networks behind various crimes that can affect the general public on a day-to-day level. In particular, those crimes that are harmful to health or that are facilitated by the Internet.
Fake goods and medicines, cybercrime and crimes against children are all areas where the public can take steps to protect themselves and their families. These changes in behaviour can also help reduce the amount of money driven by crime syndicates into their illegal activities.
Working in partnership is inevitable and action is needed not only from consumers, but also from businesses and governments. The Turn Back Crime campaign reaches out to companies and policy makers in a bid to form a united front against contemporary crime challenges. By working together, crimes are struck the impact on public health and safety is reduced.
INTERPOL is the world’s largest international police organization, with 190 member countries. The Organization’s role is to enable police around the world to work together to make the world a safer place. Its high-tech infrastructure of technical and operational support helps meet the growing challenges of fighting crime in the 21st century.
Role and Contribution of DANALI in the Project:

• 1-Participates as a Trainer in regional training sessions, mainly for three topics (i) Impact of IP breaches on national economies, (ii) Relationship between IP crime and transitional crime and (iii) the strategies and tools of training and education in the field of IP Protection and combating counterfeiting & smuggling of illicit goods.
• 2-Participates with Interpol in regional IP conferences where it presents related material.
• 3-Plans to partner with Interpol to organize an event in Beirut in 2016.

Project Implementer: Thomson Reuters – UAE
Project Brief:
The primary objective of the Report is to commission a study for the UAE to explore the impact that counterfeit goods and piracy is having on the UAE in terms of cost incurred by the private sector. Secondary objectives include analyzing the relevant statistics, quantifying the direct financial / operational / legal costs and burdens, identifying the role of other government authorities namely from the law enforcement sector, suggesting the convenient remedies, as well as playing an important role in assisting the relevant authorities to draw the road-map for preventive and corrective measures in full collaboration with the private sector.
Following the completion of the report, TR will create a national Index to measure and create benchmark for the costs incurred by the private sector and associated with combating IP breaches and namely counterfeit and piracy with their trends.
Role and Contribution of DANALI in the Project:

• DANALI, through its President, is the main author of the Report in his capacity as an independent consultant with Thomson Reuters.

Project Owner: American University of Beirut (AUB) – Lebanon
Project Brief:
Primary immunodeficiency disorders — also called primary immune disorders or primary immunodeficiency — weaken the immune system, allowing infections and other health problems to occur more easily. Many people with primary immunodeficiency are born missing some of the body’s immune defenses, which leaves them more susceptible to germs that can cause infections. Some forms of primary immunodeficiency are so mild they may go unnoticed for years. Other types are severe enough that they’re discovered almost as soon as an affected baby is born IFight Fund is a new initiative, whereby the American University of Beirut (AUB), with the full support and collaboration of the AUB Medical Centre (AUBMC), has invited DANALI to manage and carry the torch of the fund named IFIGHT which aims to combat the Primary Immunodeficiency (PID). The main objectives of the IFight Fund are the following: 1-Create awareness about the PID disease through different methods. 2-Raise funds adequately to treat patients (new born babies).
Role and Contribution of DANALI in the Project:

• 1-DANALI is the Partner of AUB in managing the IFight Fund.
• 2-The launching event for the IFight will take place in Beirut in March 2016.
• 3-DANALI is planning to organize in 2016 and in collaboration with AUB an awareness campaign to shed the light on the PID and the ways to fight it.

Project Owner: Higher Council for Childhood (HCC) – Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs
Project Brief:
The Higher Council for Childhood (an autonomous body of the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs) has joined efforts with “Child & Youth Finance International” (an international NGO working to achieve financial inclusion for children worldwide) to develop a National Strategy / Plan for Financial Inclusion for Youth and Children.
As a result, in 2014 and 2015 the HCC had invited national stakeholders and formed the “National Committee of Financial Inclusion for Youth and Children”. The Committee’s objective is to produce a National Strategic Plan for Financial Inclusion for Youth and Children, and its members include (1) Central Bank of Lebanon, (2) Ministry of Social Affairs, (3) Ministry of Education, (4) Banks Association of Lebanon and (5) DANALI.
Role and Contribution of DANALI in the Project:

• 1-Member of the “National Committee of Financial Inclusion for Youth and Children” which was set up by HCC in 2014.
• 2-Produced and delivered a structure for a “Preliminary Guidebook for Financial Institutions in Lebanon to Produce Financial Products for Youth and Children”.

Project Owner: Emirates Intellectual Property Association (EIPA) – UAE
Project Brief:
The objective of this Project is to produce a Report based on a commissioned study for the UAE to explore the impact that counterfeit goods and piracy have on the UAE in terms of all costs incurred by the private sector. Secondary objectives include analyzing the relevant statistics, quantifying the direct financial / operational / legal costs and burdens, identifying the role of other government authorities namely from the law enforcement sector, suggesting the convenient remedies, as well as playing an important role in assisting the relevant authorities to draw the road-map for preventive and corrective measures in full collaboration with the private sector.
Role and Contribution of DANALI in the Project:
Under the management of Thomson Reuters, DANALI (through its President Ali Zbeeb) is the main author chosen to produce a specialised project in the form of a report titled “UAE Private Sector Costs Associated with Combating Intellectual Property Infringements (Counterfeiting and Piracy)” planned to be delivered in 2016.

Project Owner: Emirates Intellectual Property Association (EIPA) – UAE
Project Brief:
DANALI and EIPA have preliminary agreed to organize awareness events related to Intellectual Property Protection, starting in Lebanon during the first quarter of 2016.
Role and Contribution of DANALI in the Project:
DANALI has started preparations for the awareness event with EIPA in Beirut in 2016.