Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Who is Lebanon, Arab, 1st Female Interior Minister?


Wed 06 Feb 2019 | 06:11 PM
Yassmine Elsayed

By: Yassmine ElSayed

CAIRO, Feb. 6 (SEE) - Lebanon wrote history as the first new interior minister has taken office, becoming the country's and the Arab world's first female official in charge of powerful security agencies.

Raya El Hassan took over today as a part of a new government named after nearly nine months of deadlock. She is one of four women in the 30-member Cabinet, a historic record for female political representation in Lebanon.

El Hassan says she is "assuming the challenge" of the ministry in charge of implementing the law and serving citizens, AP reported. She will be in charge of multiple, often competing security agencies, and of maintaining stability where until recently the country has grappled with militant groups and limited spillover from the war next door in Syria.

Here’s a look at her resume.

Full name is Raya Haffar Al Hassan, born January 1967 into a Sunni family. She received a bachelor's degree in business administration from the American University of Beirut in June 1987. She then obtained a MBA in finance in investments from George Washington University in 1990.

Throughout her career, she got deep experience in public finance and social development.

She assumed the following positions:

  • Assistant to the Minister of Finance and Coordinator of Implementation for Fiscal Activities, 1995 - 1999, Ministry of Finance.

  • Assistant Relationship Manager, 1999 - 2000, Corporate Banking Department (Commercial Division), Byblos Bank, sal.
  • Senior Credit Officer, 2000, Project Finance (Corporate Banking Division), Mediterranean Bank sal.
  • Advisor to the Minister, 2000 - 2003, Ministry of Economy and Trade.
  • Programme Specialist for the Economic Governance and Pro-Poor portfolio, 2005, United Nations Development Program (Lebanon Country Office).
  • Member of the Office of the Prime Minister, 2005 - 2009, Presidency of the Council of
  • Ministers, Lebanese government.
  • Minister of Finance, 2009 - 2011, Lebanese government.

Al Hassan is married to Janah Al Hassan and has three children.