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Salwa Siniora Baassiri Biography

A graduate of Economics at the American University of Beirut. She has started her career as a researcher in econometrics, then she ventured in several other domains where she assumed key responsibilities in the domains of economics, education, science, culture and communication, also in the realms of cultural and religious dialogue, Bioethics, youth and women issues.  Mrs. Baassiri actively participated in conferences and fora, held at the national, regional and international levels.  She produced several research papers, gave lectures, wrote articles in newspapers, reviewed and edited several publications issued by the institutions she was in charge of.

A. Career Profile:
  2012 - present 
Director General - Rafik Hariri Foundation
1998 - 2011           
Secretary General, The Lebanese National Commission for Unesco (LNCU)
Beirut, Lebanon
1988 - 1998                       
Chief, Unit of Program Planning Budget & Finance Méditerranée Investors Group 
Beirut, Lebanon
 1983 - 1987  
Assistant to the Director General for Students Affairs and Director of the Administration Division - Hariri Foundation
Beirut, Lebanon
1972 - 1982                       
Senior Researcher in Economics , Economic Commission for Western Asia (ECWA, renamed later as ESCWA) - United Nations
Beirut, Lebanon
 
B. Professional Profile:
     a. Member in several National and Regional Committees and Associations that are active in the domains of Education, Ethics, Culture, Management, Youth and Women
2014 - present Member, Advisory Committee, Faculty of Languages (USJ)
2013 - present Member, Advisory Board, School of Business (LAU)
2012 - present Member, Advisory Board, AMIDEAST
2012 - present
Member, Board of Trustees, Rafik Hariri University (Lebanon)
2012 - present
Member, Board of Trustees, Arab Thought Forum (Jordan)
2012 - present
Member, Advisory Committee, Faculty of Education (USJ)
2011 - present
Member, Advisory Council, Faculty of Arts at the Beirut Arab University (BAU)
2011 - present Member, Advisory Council, Center for Lebanese Heritage (LAU)
2011 - present
Member, Advisory Council, School of Pharmacy (LAU)
2009 - present
Member, Board of trustees, “Teach for Lebanon”, an NGO established in Lebanon, 2008
2009 - present
Member, Board of Trustees, Arab Educational Information Network (Shamaa), and President of Executive Committee (2011)
2007 - present
Member, Board of trustees, the Universal College Aley, Lebanon
2004 - present
Member, Board of trustees, American Community School (ACS) -Lebanon-
Vice President as of 2013
2003 - present
Chair, the “Arab Ethics Committee for Science and Technology” (established at the Arab League Organization for Education Culture & Sciences - ALECSO), Vice chair 2005-2008
2001 - present
Member, the "Lebanese National Consultative Bioethics Committee".
1995 - present
Board member, the “Lebanese Management Association”
1995 - present
Member, the “Arab Cultural Club”
 
Previous:
2011 - 2014 Member, Advisory Council, Center for Lebanese Heritage (LAU)
2010 – 2011 Member, the working group of “Barcelona Meeting” that reflects on the economic, social and ethical reality prevailing in the world
2010 - 2011
  Member, AUB Council of Community Leaders Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI)
2008 - 2011
  Member, Unesco “Intergovernmental Bioethics Committee”    
2008 - 2010 
  Member, the Consultative Committee for “Beirut World Book Capital for 2009”
2005 - 2011
 Head of the Lebanese National Network - Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the  dialogue between cultures
2002 - 2008
 Member, the EFA Lebanese National Committee which is entrusted to oversee the preparation  of the Education for All (EFA) plan, at the Ministry of Education.
2001 - 2012
 Member, the “Lebanese Forum for Dialogue”, an initiative by a group of Lebanese Scholars
1997 - 2004
 Vice President, the “Lebanese Association for the Public School” (presided by M.P Bahia Hariri)
1996 - 2004
 Member, the “Lebanese Executive Forum” established in association with the American      University of Beirut - External Programs
1995 - 1996
 Member, the Expert Group Committee assigned to design the Lebanese new Educational  Structure (in association with Educational Center for Development and Research)
1994 - 1998
 Member, the “National Commission for Lebanese Women” presided by the First Lady of  Lebanon
1994 - 1995
 Member, the Lebanese National Committee that was designated to prepare for the “Fourth  World Conference on Women, Beijing, 1995” and to draft the Lebanese National Report on  Women
1993 - 1997
 Board Member, the “Lebanese Think Tank Association”
1988 - 1989
 Member, the Lebanese/USA “Fulbright Selection Committee”          
1985 - 1986
 Member, the Planning Council that comprised representatives from AUB, Hariri Foundation and  CICHE (Consortium International Cooperation - Higher Education) to look into establishing  Number of Hariri Colleges in Lebanon
 
  1. Active participation in more than two hundred National, Regional and International Conferences and Fora in the capacity of: main organizer, keynote speaker, lecturer, discussant, panelist, official delegate, rapporteur, chairperson.  Among the most prominent of which; chairing two commissions of two successive UNESCO general conferences, the 34th session in 2007 and the 35th session in 2009.
  2. Prepared papers, gave lectures in conferences, fora and seminars held at the national, regional and international levels, on education, culture, interfaith and cultural dialogue, bioethics, economics and women issues, in addition to writing articles in local newspapers.