Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development

The Hariri Foundation is a Lebanese non-governmental organization and a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) with a special consultative status. The Hariri Foundation was incepted in 1979 by late Lebanese prime minister H.E. Rafic Hariri and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador H.E. Bahia Hariri, who is president of the foundation to this day. The inception of the foundation comprised an exceptional national mission to invest in nearly 36,000 students from all regions and backgrounds across Lebanon through funding educational scholarships to pursue their studies in national and international universities and institutions in 27 countries worldwide. Whilst the mission constituted a direct educational response to the needs of the war-afflicted population, the foundation has ever since expanded its scope of work, shifting towards a more diversified portfolio of interventions aimed at national state-building and sustainable human development. Today, the foundation stands proud of its portfolio comprising over 200 national and local projects across five developmental programs: Education & Digital Transformation Socioeconomic Development Active Citizenship Sustainability & Climate Action Public Health & Wellbeing The foundation also runs a strategic portfolio for State-Building, engaging the whole of society in developing national strategies and establishing national frameworks aimed at reinforcing the Lebanese national identity and promoting meaningful participation. The Hariri Foundation’s projects and services address sustainable human development and aim at strengthening citizen engagement, social cohesion, and community resilience. Those objectives reflect the founders’ firm belief that investing in Lebanon’s future requires the investment in its human capital.