Nawaf Salam
Encyclopedia
Nawaf Salam is a Lebanese
diplomat, academic, and jurist. He is currently serving as Lebanon's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations
in New York
.
, Lebanon
. His grandfather, Selim Salam, the leader of the “Beirut Reformist Movement,” was elected deputy of Beirut to the Ottoman parliament in 1912. His uncle, Saeb Salam
, fought for Lebanon’s independence from the French Mandate of Lebanon
and subsequently served four times as Prime Minister of Lebanon between 1952 and 1973. He is married to the journalist Sahar Baassiri and has two sons, Abdallah and Marwan.
Salam received a doctorate in Political Science from the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris
(1992), an L.L.M. from Harvard Law School
(1991), and a doctorate in History from Sorbonne University (1979).
, during which time he also practiced law as an associate at the Takla law firm. He was a visiting researcher at the Harvard Law School from 1989 to 1990, and a foreign legal consultant at Edwards & Angell LLP from 1989 to 1992. He resumed his practice at the Takla law firm in 1992 as well as his teaching of International Law and International Relations at the American University of Beirut. He was appointed as Visiting Associate Professor of Political Science in 2003, and later as Associate Professor of Political Science in 2005. From 2005 to 2006, he was the Chairman of the Political Studies and Public Administration Department.
Salam has also served as a member of the Executive Bureau of the Economic and Social Council of Lebanon from 1999 to 2002 and as a member of the Lebanese National Commission of UNESCO from 2000 to 2004. In 2005 and 2006, he was a member and Secretary General of The National Commission on Electoral Reform which was entrusted with the task of preparing the draft of a new electoral law for Lebanon. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies (LCPS).
Salam’s mandate at the UN has been marked by his repeated interventions before the Security Council defending Palestinian National Rights, calling for security and stability in South Lebanon through the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701
, and for an end to impunity through the establishment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon
in the matter of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, pursuant to United Nations Security Council resolution 1757.
He currently represents Lebanon at the Security Council after its election in January 2010 as a non-permanent member for a two-year term. In May 2010 and September 2011 he held the rotating Presidency of the Security Council
.
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
diplomat, academic, and jurist. He is currently serving as Lebanon's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Background and education
Son of Abdallah Salam and Reckat Beyhum, Nawaf was born into a prominent family from BeirutBeirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. His grandfather, Selim Salam, the leader of the “Beirut Reformist Movement,” was elected deputy of Beirut to the Ottoman parliament in 1912. His uncle, Saeb Salam
Saeb Salam
Saeb Salam was a Lebanese politician, who served as Prime Minister four times between 1952 and 1973.Salam was the son of Salim Salam, the scion of a prominent Sunni Muslim family who was a prominent politician both under Ottoman rule and then during the French Mandate...
, fought for Lebanon’s independence from the French Mandate of Lebanon
French Mandate of Lebanon
The state of Greater Lebanon, the predecessor of modern Lebanon, was created in 1920 as part of the French scheme of dividing the French Mandate of Syria into six states....
and subsequently served four times as Prime Minister of Lebanon between 1952 and 1973. He is married to the journalist Sahar Baassiri and has two sons, Abdallah and Marwan.
Salam received a doctorate in Political Science from the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris
Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris
The Institut d'études politiques de Paris , simply referred to as Sciences Po , is a public research and higher education institution in Paris, France, specialised in the social sciences. It has the status of grand établissement, which allows its admissions process to be highly selective...
(1992), an L.L.M. from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
(1991), and a doctorate in History from Sorbonne University (1979).
Career
From 1979 to 1981, Salam was a lecturer on the contemporary history of the Middle East at Sorbonne University. In 1981, he left Paris to spend an academic year as a visiting scholar at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. Between 1985 and 1989, he was a lecturer at the American University of BeirutAmerican University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut is a private, independent university in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded as the Syrian Protestant College by American missionaries in 1866...
, during which time he also practiced law as an associate at the Takla law firm. He was a visiting researcher at the Harvard Law School from 1989 to 1990, and a foreign legal consultant at Edwards & Angell LLP from 1989 to 1992. He resumed his practice at the Takla law firm in 1992 as well as his teaching of International Law and International Relations at the American University of Beirut. He was appointed as Visiting Associate Professor of Political Science in 2003, and later as Associate Professor of Political Science in 2005. From 2005 to 2006, he was the Chairman of the Political Studies and Public Administration Department.
Salam has also served as a member of the Executive Bureau of the Economic and Social Council of Lebanon from 1999 to 2002 and as a member of the Lebanese National Commission of UNESCO from 2000 to 2004. In 2005 and 2006, he was a member and Secretary General of The National Commission on Electoral Reform which was entrusted with the task of preparing the draft of a new electoral law for Lebanon. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies (LCPS).
Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations
As of July 2007, he has been serving as Lebanon’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.Salam’s mandate at the UN has been marked by his repeated interventions before the Security Council defending Palestinian National Rights, calling for security and stability in South Lebanon through the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 is a resolution that was intended to resolve the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.It was unanimously approved by the United Nations Security Council on 11 August 2006. The Lebanese cabinet, which includes two members of Hezbollah, unanimously approved the...
, and for an end to impunity through the establishment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon
Special Tribunal for Lebanon
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon is an international tribunal for the prosecution under Lebanese law of those responsible for the assassination of Rafic Hariri on February 14, 2005. The tribunal also has jurisdiction over a series of other attacks in Lebanon if they are proven to be connected...
in the matter of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, pursuant to United Nations Security Council resolution 1757.
He currently represents Lebanon at the Security Council after its election in January 2010 as a non-permanent member for a two-year term. In May 2010 and September 2011 he held the rotating Presidency of the Security Council
President of the United Nations Security Council
The President of the United Nations Security Council is the presiding officer of that body. The president is the head of the delegation from the Security Council member state that holds the rotating presidency.-Selection:...
.
Books and Booklets
- Editor and Contributor: Le Moyen-Orient à l’Epreuve de l’Irak, Actes-Sud/Sindbad, Paris, 2005. ISBN 2-7427-5249-8
- Editor and Contributor: Options for Lebanon, I.B.Tauris, London and New York, 2004. ISBN 1-85043-928-1 (Arabic version published by Dar An-Nahar ISBN 9953-10-003-9).
- Co-editor with Theodor Hanf and Contributor: Lebanon in Limbo, Nomos, Baden-Baden, 2003. ISBN 3-8329-0310-0
- Co-editor with Fares Sassine, Lebanon. A Century in Pictures (Trilingual English-French-Arabic), Dar An-Nahar, Beirut, 2003. ISBN 2-84289-286-0
- Civil Society in the Arab World: The Historical and Political Dimensions, Islamic Legal Studies Program, Harvard Law School, Occasional Publications, Cambridge, 2002. ISBN 0-88086-050-2
- La condition libanaise. Communautés, citoyen, Etat; suivi de: La citoyenneté en pays d’Islam. Dar An-Nahar, Beirut, 1998. (2nd ed. 2001). ISBN 2-84289-099-X
- Mythes et Politiques au Liban. Trois Essais, Fiches du Monde Arabe, Beirut, 1987.
- Prospects for Lebanon. An Essay on Political Opportunities and Constraints, C.L.S., Oxford, 1987. ISBN 1 870552 06 7
Chapters in Books and Articles in Refereed Journals
- “Taif’s Dysfunctions and the Need for Constitutional Reform” in Youssef Choueiri, Breaking the Cycle: Civil Wars in Lebanon, Stacey International, London, 2007.
- “Note sur le système confessionnel au Liban” in Abdel-Wahab Bouhdiba (ed.), Mélanges en l’honneur de Dominique Chevallier, Paris-Tunis, 2006, pp. 77–86.
- “The War in Lebanon: its origins and courses” in Peter Molt and Helga Dickow, Comparing Cultures and Conflicts, Baden-Baden, 2006, pp. 290–299.
- “The Emergence of Citizenship in Islamdom” in Arab Law QuarterlyArab Law QuarterlyThe Arab Law Quarterly, the only English language quarterly devoted to Arab law, was born out of the inspiration in 1984 of Dr. Mark Hoyle, a commercial and international Barrister based in London. Dr. Hoyle had completed a PhD at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University, and...
, Vol. 12, part 2, 1997, pp. 125–147. - “Between Repatriation and Resettlement: Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon” in Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. XXIV/1, n° 93, 1994, pp. 18–27. (French version in Revue d'Etudes Palestiniennes [53] 1, automne 1994)
- “Is the Exceptio non adimpleti contractus part of Lex Mercatoria?” Co-author with Philip D. O'Neill, Jr. in Emmanuel Gaillard (ed.), Transnational Rules in International Commercial Arbitration, International Chamber of Commerce/International Law Association, Paris, 1993, pp. 147–159.