about cciabML - CCIABML profile

The Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Beirut and Mount Lebanon is an institution for public benefit. It has an independent legal personality and promotes the development of business enterprises.

The Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Beirut & Mount Lebanon (CCIABML) has been established in 1887. Today, the CCIABML represents, in its membership, more than 10,000 Lebanese business firms most of which are SMEs.

With such a strong base, CCIABML is today one of the main reference organizations for Lebanon’s business establishments.

CCIABML serves Lebanon’s economy and private enterprises through a diversified range of services and activities, some of which are unique in the Arab world. They include Business Information, Training, Bar Codes, Carnet ATA, Carnet TIR and others.

The Chamber’s Board of Directors is composed of twenty four members, sixteen of which are elected for a four year term by the Chamber’s General Assembly, and the remaining eight appointed by the Government. The Board is responsible for general policy formulation and enjoys several specialized committees. The Director General is responsible for implementing the Boards general policy and leads an administration of about one hundred employees, and supervises the chambers operations.

CCIABML Structure includes the General Assembly, the Board of Directors, the Bureau and the Administration.

The General Assembly is made of all the adherents who renewed their subscriptions to the Chamber.

The Chamber is involved in Lebanon’s regional and international economic relations, and focuses on two main aspects. The first of these is to promote the country’s exports. For this purpose, the Chamber continuously develops its relations with its counterpart institutions in many countries of the Arab world and other regions, and facilitates contacts between Lebanese and non-Lebanese business establishments.

The second aspect concerns Lebanon’s ability to attract foreign investment. This is not merely a question of expanding and enhancing national production, but also one of affirming Lebanon’s openness to world trade, and its regional and international outlook. The Beirut Chamber is at the forefront of this developing trend and maintains strong ties with various chambers and international organizations in order to ensure this kind of interaction.
The primary source of financing for the chamber is the membership and certification fees.

CCIABML covers 2 regions of lebanon:

Beirut
Mount Lebanon

The Head office is situated @ the Center of Beirut where it offers convenient premises for different types of activities : Conference rooms, meeting rooms, exposition center, etc…

The CCIABML has 3 other branches to better serve its members:

Jounieh
Baakline
Sin el Fil

The CCIABML plays a major role in connecting Lebanese organizations with external delegations and companies.

The CCIABML building hosts also:

The Federation of the Lebanese Chambers,
The Association of Lebanese Industrialists,
The Beirut Traders Association,
The National Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce

The CCIABML is the principal, largest, and most prominent economic organization in Lebanon. Indeed the Beirut Chamber serves the districts of Beirut and Mount Lebanon which represent about two thirds of the Lebanese economy. The Beirut Chamber has developed to become the principal advocate of the private sector and its main representative in meetings with the public sector.

The Beirut Chamber, together with the Chambers of Tripoli, Sidon and Zahle formed a Federation to coordinate their activities. It cooperates extensively with the economic associations in Lebanon, amongst which are the following:

The Beirut Chamber, the other Chambers and the Associations, formed a defacto council of Lebanese economic organizations. They represent the private sector and form an important pressure group to reform the public sector and the financial system in Lebanon.

Services at a glance

Membership and Certification Department	The Chamber is the only institution authorized by law to issue a certificate of origin for exported and traded goods. The Chamber also authenticates signatures and dates. To be able to benefit from such services and others, an establishment should become a member at the Chamber. Membership and certifications are performed through an advanced and fully computerized electronic system which ensures a high level of efficiency, security and speed.
Center for Economic Research	Ranging from general information to statistics and advanced analysis reports, the Center for Economic Research @ the Chamber supports the private sector by providing business information and research, with valuable information and guidance on a number of economic issues. It publishes a biannual report about Lebanese economy, an index of consumer prices, a report on national exports, and a national unemployment index. It includes an online library for businessmen and prepares the Chamber’s monthly magazine which is widely distributed to members and interested parties, nationally and around the world. A range of business publications are issued by the center.
GS1 Labeling & Barcode services	GS1, previously known as EAN, provides Labeling services, Traceability solutions, Global Data Synchronization, and RFID (EPC GLOBAL) solutions to the lebanese market within the supply chain sector. Membership in GS1 now includes 800 Lebanese companies.
Euro Info Correspondence Center (EICC)	In recent years the Chamber has strengthened its contacts with the European Community on matters concerning the Community's economic links with Lebanon including importers and exporters, associations, international brands, trade fairs and shows, publications, consultants, manufacturers, yellow pages, chambers of commerce, commercial services, government offices, international institutions and business missions etc.. EICC Promotes SMEs and helps them in import-export activities It facilitates networking and cooperation for members with local, regional and international institutions and counterparts It promotes Lebanese products in the local and export markets
Carnet ATA	To facilitate temporary entry of Lebanese products to other countries, CCIABML exclusively issues the ATA Carnet. It also simplifies temporary importation of goods, professional equipment, and commercial samples mainly in the organization of international fairs in Lebanon.
Carnet TIR	To facilitate exports & imports carried by land, The Chamber exclusively issues CARNET TIR
Digital Certification	The Chamber of Beirut provides publicly trusted code signing certifications for global online e-trading through GlobalSign.
Trade Shows and Lebanese Pavilions Abroad	The chamber supports local industries and traders by organizing the pavilion of Lebanon in international trade fairs and exhibitions where companies can promote their products, meet suppliers, and discover the latest developments in their industry.
Technical & Business Training Center	IFA is the training center within the Beirut chamber. It was established through a Partnership Agreement between CCIABML and the Chamber of Versailles. It started its activities in offering short-term courses for the business community for different management levels in the year 1996. IFA provides business training cycles in coordination with international training organizations and international trainers. Early in 2005, IFA introduced a new curriculum for technical training with customized budget to fulfil the need of SMEs within the country. Training courses cover many topics including: International Marketing and Export Management Environmental & Quality Management Production Management General Management Topics (Finance, Human Resources Management) Sector related courses (food industry, packaging, etc…) The IFA offers an average of 20 short-term courses attended by about 400 participants per year. Training programs are produced semi-annually.
Arbitration	The Arbitration center’s main function is to settle all disputes of internal or international character by using the procedure of arbitration.
Public Relations Department	Responding to trade inquiries originating from within the country and from abroad, and processing/disseminating the information among the concerned entrepreneurs. Serving trade/economic missions visiting CCIABML, and facilitating individual business meetings between counterparts. Arranging missions abroad. Preparing seminars/workshops organized by CCIABML in cooperation with counterpart institutions/embassies. Cooperating with foreign embassies/commercial offices in Lebanon.
Publications	The CCIABML publishes a monthly Magazine covering economic topics and the activities of the chamber In addition, through the preparation of business and economic analysis services, the chamber delivers a list of yearly reports and indicators that are considered unique in the country.
Library	CCIABML has organized a modern documentation center that includes more than 2000 publications of books, periodicals, journals, magazines, reports, studies, CD-ROMs, etc.
Trade Shows and Lebanese Pavilions Abroad	Access to the Chamber's website is open to all. It is divided into: Public site available to all online visitors Members online section with login codes This will enable members to access a much more in-depth version of the site, with all the interactive attributes and ordering facilities unavailable to non-members.