As part of the annual series of meetings held by the administration of general assemblies across the country, the LUPD held its annual meeting in the Bekaa on Friday, August 21, 2026, at Wadi Shamsine Park. The event was attended by over eighty members of the general assembly, including a fresh group of new joiners, alongside the Union’s President Sylvana Lakkis, Vice President Hussein Jaber, Central Secretary Jihad Ismail, Administrative Board member Karima Saleh, the organizing committee, and a host of friends.

After the Lebanese national anthem, comrade Jaber opened the gathering with a welcoming speech, running through the agenda. Then comrade Ismail gave a quick rundown of LUPD’s history, its internal bylaws, and how it operates, touching on its two-body structure (general and administrative assemblies), the term length of the administrative board, and the number of its members.

He also went over membership conditions, noting that new members become eligible to vote one year after joining and after settling their dues. He explained Article 25 of the internal regulations, which deals with penalties. Basically, anyone who causes moral or material harm to the LUPD or oversteps their authority gets referred to a disciplinary council, and if they lose any membership requirement, they’re considered resigned.

Following that, 38 members from the Bar Elias area received their union cards, twenty of which went to newcomers. Ismail gave a shout-out to the new members for choosing volunteer work alongside their fellow unionists to champion the causes and rights of people with disabilities.

Next up, comrade Lakkis presented the latest updates on LUPD’s work in disability and rights issues, particularly regarding government services, social protection, support programs from the Ministry of Social Affairs, reconstruction and engineering accommodations, job opportunities and employment, plus the healthcare and hospitalization file at all levels, and the displaced persons file.

That was followed by an open discussion between attendees and the president about how the relevant authorities are falling short in providing these services amid the country’s tough conditions, particularly in the Bekaa region and the struggles people with disabilities face there.

Then participants split into small working groups to brainstorm organizational ideas for pressure campaigns targeting the concerned parties, based on the difficulties and problems each group faces in pursuing their rights in the mentioned files. They also gauged how willing the groups were to take part in future field actions, and each small group recorded video messages with their demands.

After finishing the group work, lunch was served, and the gathering turned into a fun hangout with singing, music, and entertainment, plus a tombola draw with symbolic prizes.

The LUPD extends its thanks to Al Mayyas Hospital – Chtoura for sponsoring the annual general assembly meeting in the Bekaa, as well as to all the generous supporters: Shafiq Al Mayyas Supermarket, Jamil Al-Sayyed Company, Jihad Tours, Al-Ikhwa Al-Wataniya School, Jaber Sweets, Darwish Sweets, and Al-Rimas Company.

Thanks to this backing, the organizing committee was able to set up the perfect conditions for holding the annual general assembly meeting.