Sayida Ounissi (born 3 February 1987) is a Tunisian politician representing the party of

Ennahdha The Ennahda Movement ( ar, حركة النهضة, Ḥarakatu n-Nahḍah; french: link=no, Mouvement Ennahdha), also known as the Renaissance Party or simply known as Ennahda, is a self-defined Islamic democratic political party in Tunisia. Foun ...

. She currently serves as Secretary of State for Vocational Training.

Early life and education

Ounissi was born in

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

on 3 February 1987. She has one sister and three brothers. Her father was an Islamist

imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

, and left Tunisia in 1993 to escape President

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Zine El Abidine Ben Ali ( ar, زين العابدين بن علي, translit=Zayn al-'Ābidīn bin 'Alī; 3 September 1936 – 19 September 2019), commonly known as Ben Ali ( ar, بن علي) or Ezzine ( ar, الزين), was a Tunisian politician ...

's regime. The family were smuggled to

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

before joining him in France. Ounissi attended the Petet Val secondary school in

Sucy-en-Brie Sucy-en-Brie (, literally ''Sucy in Brie'') is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Population Transport Sucy-en-Brie is served by Sucy–Bonneuil station on Paris RER line A. Edu ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. She graduated from the

Sorbonne University Sorbonne University (french: Sorbonne Université; la Sorbonne: 'the Sorbonne') is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de Sorbon ...

with a degree in history and political science in 2008 and with a master's degree in economic and social development in 2011. She began doctoral studies in political science in 2011. Her thesis title is "The implementation of social policies and the coercive role of the state."

Career

Ounissi returned to Tunisia in 2011 after the fall of Ben Ali, working as an intern at the

African Development Bank The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) or (BAD) is a multilateral development finance institution headquartered in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, since September 2014. The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and private companies i ...

. She was a researcher at the Research Institute on Contemporary

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...

from 2012 to 2014. She was also active in a public policy analysis centre called the Jasmine Foundation. She served as Vice President of the European NGO Young Muslims of Europe. Ounissi was elected to the

Assembly of the Representatives of the People The Assembly of the People's Representatives ( ar, مجلس نواب الشعب ', french: Assemblée des représentants du peuple; ARP) is Tunisia's legislative branch of government. The unicameral Assembly replaced the Constituent Assembly and ...

on 26 October 2014 as a member of the Ennahdha representing the constituency of France Nord, an

overseas constituency An overseas constituency or overseas electoral district is any electoral district located outside of a nation-state's borders but which is recognized by the state's government as a district for the representation of its expatriate (and, technically ...

for members of the

Tunisian diaspora The Tunisian diaspora refers to people of Tunisian origin living outside that country. It is the direct result of the strong rate of emigration which Tunisia has experienced since its independence in 1956. In the 1960s and 70s, the favourable econom ...

in France. She was the youngest Ennahda candidate and became one of the youngest members of parliament. She sat on the Committees of Finance, Planning and Development and of Martyrs and Wounded of the Revolution. During the

Bardo National Museum attack On 18 March 2015, two militants attacked the Bardo National Museum in the Tunisian capital city of Tunis, and took hostages. Twenty-one people, mostly European tourists, were killed at the scene, and an additional victim died ten days later. Aro ...

on 18 March 2015, she was

tweeting Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, ...

live updates detailing the panic and evacuation. On 20 August 2016, Ounissi was appointed to the Executive Board as Secretary of State for Vocational Training in charge of private initiative in the coalition government of Prime Minister

Youssef Chahed Youssef Chahed ( ar, يوسف الشاهد; born 18 September 1975) is a Tunisian politician who served as the 14th Prime Minister of Tunisia from 27 August 2016 to 27 February 2020. Previously he was Secretary of State for Fishing from 2015 to ...

and as international spokesperson.

Personal life

Ounissi is an Islamist and wears a

hijab In modern usage, hijab ( ar, حجاب, translit=ḥijāb, ) generally refers to headcoverings worn by Muslim women. Many Muslims believe it is obligatory for every female Muslim who has reached the age of puberty to wear a head covering. While ...

. She also considers herself a feminist. She attended the El-Fath mosque until the

Salafists The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a reform branch movement within Sunni Islam that originated during the nineteenth century. The name refers to advocacy of a return to the traditions of the "pious predecessors" (), the first three generati ...

took possession of it. She is fluent in both English and French. She became engaged to marry in August 2016.

Publications

* * *

References

External links

Ennahdha biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ounissi, Sayida 1987 births Living people Tunisian Muslims Government ministers of Tunisia Ennahda politicians Tunisian feminists Members of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People University of Paris alumni People from Tunis Women government ministers of Tunisia 21st-century Tunisian women politicians 21st-century Tunisian politicians