Michel Chiha Foundation

Professor of Sociology at the Lebanese University. He retired in 2007. His numerous publications include studies dealing with various aspects of Lebanese history, the Lebanese political and social system, and the Arab culture.

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Archaeological conservator specialising in the conservation of archaeological materials and surfaces. The former head of conservation at the Directorate General of Antiquities. Worked on several conservation projects for museums and archaeological excavations in Lebanon.

Former President of the Catholic University of Paris, former Head of the Policy planning at the Ministry of Foreign affairs in Paris, Joseph Maïla is currently Professor of International relations and Geopolitics at ESSEC, Paris, France.

Daughter of Michel Chiha and Marguerite Pharaon. Madeleine Helou is the wife of the late MP Pierre Helou. She has been very active in non-governmental organisations such as the Société de Bienfaisance Latine, the Comite central des Dames de la Charité, the Lebanese Red Cross, and Saint Vincent de Paul. Madeleine Helou was a member of the executive committee of the Baalbek International Festival for over 40 years. She is now Vice-President of the Lebanese Academy of Gastronomy.

H.E. started his career as a journalist and columnist, Deputy Editor in Chief of “L’Orient-Le Jour” (1971-1975), Director of the Press Group “An-Nahar” (1977-1980). He was elected Deputy of Mount Lebanon in 1991. He held a number of portfolios: Minister of Tourism (1980-1982) Minister of Health and Social Affairs three times (1992-1997), Minister of the Displaced (2000-2003) Minister of Economy and Trade (1990-1992) and (2003-2004), Minister of Telecommunications (2005-2008). He is Secretary General of the Parliament’s bureau and Chairman of the Environment Parliamentary Commission since 2009. Mr. Hamadé is also President of the Board of the “Société Immobilière de Presse” (SIP), Consultant for the World Organization of Health for the Middle East (since 1996), Founding member of the “Druze Council for Development” (since 1977), he also figures on the Board of the “Crédit Libanais” s.a.l., the Higher Council of the Lebanese Press, the Strategic Council of the Saint Joseph University (U.S.J.)”, the boards of “An-Nahar” and “l’Orient-Le Jour”

B.A. Interpreter School of the University of Geneva. B.A. Art History Concordia University, Montreal. Michèle has been a guide at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts since 1988. And in the past few years, she has been a guide at the AUB Archeological Museum and the National Museum in Lebanon. Michèle is also active in several non-governmental organizations in particular helping children with special needs.

Board member of the Lebanese Agricultural research institute (1989-2000). Co-Founder and board member of Liban-Lait s.a.l. (Candia). President of the association of protection and improvement of the Arabian horse in Lebanon (since February 1998). Elected MP on Rafic Hariri’s list (representing Christian minorities) (September 2000). Member of the Budget and Finance parliamentary committee during the period 2000-2014. Member of the Agriculture and Tourism parliamentary committee (2000-2005). Member of the Francophone parliamentary committee since 2000. Member of the Francophone international parliamentary assembly committee office since 2003. Elected MP for Beirut for the second time in May 2005 on the list of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. President of the Economy, Trade, Industry, and Planning parliamentary committee (2005-2014). Elected Member of Parliament for Beirut for the third time in June 2009 on the list of the Future movement list. Minister of State for Administrative Reform since February 2014.

Associate Fellow of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House where he directs a program on the regional dimension of the Palestinian refugee issue in the Middle East Peace Process. He is also a senior member of St Antony’s College Oxford where he was director of the Centre for Lebanese Studies from 1986 to 2005. He is a member of the executive board of the Centro de Estudios de Oriente Medio of the Fundacion Promocion Social de la Cultura in Madrid. In 2010 he was a visiting fellow at the Aspen Institute in Washington DC and in the summer semester of 2012, he was a visiting scholar at Tufts University. He is also a consultant to several governments and international organizations. He has several publications and contributes regularly to the media on Middle Eastern affairs.

Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Behavioral Research at the American University of Beirut. He has also held academic appointments at Princeton, Harvard, MIT, and New York University. He is the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters on comparative modernization, socio-cultural history, urbanization, and post-war reconstruction. He has been a recipient of several international fellowships and research awards and appointed on the international jury to review master plans for the post-war reconstruction of Beirut. He is a trustee of several foundations and serves on the editorial boards of a score of international journals and publications.