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Egypt's Minouche Shafik Becomes Permanent Member of UK’s House of Lords


Tue 04 Aug 2020 | 07:46 PM
shawar ibrahim

Egyptian Economist Minouche Shafik has been permanently assigned as a member of the British House of Lords on Sunday after the Queen of Great Britain granted her membership.

Minouche will be made a Life Peer in the House of Lords, according to the British government's announcement. Shafik has been nominated to sit in the Lords as a Crossbencher with no prior political affiliations.

This grants her the ability to directly and independently vote on legislation, and interrogate government policy. Like the other women members of the House of Lords, Shafik will be granted the title of “Baroness” and her children will be granted honorific titles.

According to the London School of Economics website, Shafik commented on the appointment saying: “It is a huge honor and I hope to use this opportunity to serve to the best of my ability. I especially look forward to highlighting how the social sciences and humanities have a vital role in tackling the enormous challenges facing the UK and wider world – from managing the impact of pandemics and combating climate change, to supporting economic recovery and well-being.”

Born to Nemat Talaat Shafik, Minouche is the daughter of Talaat Shafik Hantour Professor of Pesticide Chemistry at the Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University – who worked for years with the US Food and Drug Administration and the US Environmental Protection Authority – and teacher Maysaa Hamza.

Shafik now leads the London School of Economics.

The Egyptian economist was previously the CEO of both the Bank of England and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). She previously held a stint as Permanent Secretary of the UK Department for International Development and the Deputy Managing Director of the IMF. She also served as the youngest deputy director of the World Bank.

On the other hand, Minister of Immigration and Egyptian Expatriate Affairs Nabila Makram on Tuesday congratulated her on gaining permanent membership on the British House of Lords, a great achievement in the name of Egyptians worldwide.

After calling Shafik on her phone, Makram said in a statement that she has set a new record for Egyptian women abroad and added to the successes of Egyptians around the world.

Makram also expressed pride in Shafik’s achievements over the past few years which have earned her a place in the House of Lords.