Lebanese American University

Speakers

2013 program

Ziyad Baroud

Ziyad Baroud

Lebanese, born in 1970, Jeita (Keserwan) to a mother and father who worked as teachers. Married to Linda Karam. They have 3 children: Theo-Raphael, Elsa-Carol and Ella-Maria. He received his high school education in Saint Joseph College - Aintoura. He is licensed to practice law by Saint Joseph University Beirut and completed his doctorate in the universities of Paris. He joined the Beirut Bar Association in 1993. He trained in the firm of the lawyer, Professor Ibrahim Najjar (1993 - 1996) and continued to work with him until 2003. He went independent in a private firm (Haddad, Baroud and Daher Law Firm) in 2003 where he has practiced advocacy, arbitration, and legal consultation ever since (except for a break from the profession while he was responsible for the interior and municipalities portfolio between July 2008 and June 2011). Legal advisor to the Lebanese Teachers Syndicate and to a number of UN agencies working in Lebanon. A lecturer in Saint Joseph University since 1996, the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Universite Antonine and the Institute des Finances (Basil Fuleihan Institute) where he teaches general and constitutional law, general finances, labor law, associations law and current events. Member of the committee for modernization of law since 1997, he was elected general secretary of the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (2004 - 2006) where he supervised the municipal elections in 2004 and the parliamentary elections in 2005 as the head of a group of 1350 inspectors. Member of the National Commission on Electoral Law under the leadership of former minister Fouad Boutros (August 2005 - May 2006). In 2007 he was chosen by the World Economic Forum as one of the young leaders. He took part in the meetings for Lebanese dialogue in Saint Cloud France (July 2007) at the invitation of the French foreign ministry.

He was appointed minister of the interior and municipalities in the government of President Fouad Siniora on 11/08/2008. He was reappointed to the same portfolio in the subsequent government of President Saad Al-Hariri until June 2011. He is presently the head of the special committee for administrative decentralization which is preparing the draft law. Member of the Notre Dame University board of trustees. In 2009 the president of France Nicolas Sarkozy awarded him the medal of national merit to the rank of Commandeur then the “Officier de la Légion d’Honneur” to the rank of Chevalier. The king of Spain Juan Carlos also awarded him the medal of national merit to the rank of commandore in 2011. He received the United Nations award for public service in 2010 when the ministry of the interior was dissolved in the first degree. In 2010 the International Foundation for Electoral Fairness in Washington awarded him its yearly prize. He has a number of legal publications, articles and lectures.


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