Ghassan Salamé (; born 1951) is a Lebanese

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

who currently serves as the Minister of Culture since January 2025. He previously served in the same position from 2000 to 2003. He was the Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) and professor of

International Relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

Sciences Po Sciences Po () or Sciences Po Paris, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies (), is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of ''grande école'' and the legal status of . The university's unde ...

. Salamé served as the head of the

United Nations Support Mission in Libya United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

from 2017 to 2020.

Early life and education

Ghassan Salamé was born in 1951 in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, originally from

Kfardebian Kfardebian (; also spelled ''Kfar Dibiane'' and also known as Moucha'a Keserwan) is a municipality in the Keserwan District of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate in Lebanon. It is located 45 kilometers north of Beirut. Its average elevation is 1,22 ...

. He studied at

Saint Joseph University Saint Joseph University of Beirut (; French: ''Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth'', commonly known as USJ) is a private Catholic research university in Beirut, Lebanon, founded in 1875 by French Jesuit missionaries and subsidized by the Go ...

and later studied public international law (Diploma of Advanced Studies, DEA,

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

), as well as in literature (PhD in humanities, Paris III Sorbonne-Nouvelle University) and political science (PhD, Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne University). Salamé is a

Melkite Greek Catholic The Melkite Greek Catholic Church (, ''Kanīsat ar-Rūm al-Malakiyyīn al-Kāṯūlīk''; ; ), also known as the Melkite Byzantine Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See as part of the worldwide Catho ...

Career

Ghassan Salamé taught international relations at the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...

and Saint Joseph University in Beirut and, later, at the University of Paris. In 2000–2003, Salamé was Lebanon's Minister of Culture, as well as chairman and Spokesman of the Organization Committee for the Arab Summit (March 2002) and of the Francophone Summit (October 2002) in Beirut. Salamé presently sits on the board of the

International Crisis Group The International Crisis Group (ICG; also known as the Crisis Group) is a global non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. It is a think tank, used by policymakers and academics, conducting research and analysis on global crises. ...

(

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

), the International Peace Institute (

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

), the

Open Society Foundations Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is an American grantmaking network founded by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with the s ...

, the

Bibliotheca Alexandrina The Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Latin, 'Library of Alexandria'; , ) (BA) is a major library and cultural center on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria, Egypt. It is a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria, once one of the larg ...

(Egypt), and several other non-profit organizations. He was also the senior advisor to the

United Nations Secretary-General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...

from 2003 to 2006 and again in 2012. He was the political advisor to the United Nations Assistance Mission for

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

(UNAMI) in 2003, where he played a critical role in bringing together Iraqi factions. He is the chairman of the

Arab Fund for Arts and Culture The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) () is an independent, non-profit NGO that funds individuals and cultural organizations in the Arab region. By awarding grants for partial funding of cultural projects and other forms of support, AFAC fac ...

. Salamé also sat on the Board of the

Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), otherwise known as the Henry Dunant Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, works to prevent and resolve armed conflicts around the world through mediation and discreet diplomacy. A non-profit organisation base ...

from 2011 to 2015. In 2016, he joined the Commission on the Rakhine State (Myanmar), which was chaired by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Salame is a Member of the

Global Leadership Foundation The Global Leadership Foundation (GLF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization consisting of a network of former heads of state/government and other distinguished leaders (GLF Members), who seek to assist developing countries in improving gov ...

(chaired by

FW de Klerk Frederik Willem de Klerk ( , ; 18 March 1936 – 11 November 2021) was a South African politician who served as the seventh and final state president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994 and as deputy president alongside Thabo Mbeki under Preside ...

) that works to support democratic leadership, prevent and resolve conflict through mediation and promote good governance in the form of democratic institutions, open markets, human rights and the rule of law. On 22 June 2017, Salamé was appointed Head of the

(UNSMIL), replacing

Martin Kobler Martin Kobler (born 1953 in Stuttgart) is a German former career diplomat who served as German Ambassador to Egypt, Iraq and Pakistan. He served as Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of United Nations Suppo ...

. On 5 August 2017, he made his first official visit to Libya after assuming the role of the head of United Nations Support Mission in Libya by arriving at

Mitiga Airport Mitiga International Airport (مطار معيتيقة الدولي) is an airport that serves Tripoli, Libya, located about east of Tripoli's city centre. Since 2018 it has been the sole international airport serving Tripoli following the clos ...

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...

. During 2018–2019, he mediated between political and social groups in

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

, with the aim of holding a meeting in

Ghadames Ghadames or Ghadamis ( Ghadamsi: ⵄⴰⴷⴻⵎⴻⵙ / ''Ɛadēməs'' �adeːməs , ) is an oasis town in the Nalut District of the Tripolitania region in northwestern Libya. Ghadamès, known as 'the pearl of the desert', stands in an oa ...

called the

Libyan National Conference The Libyan National Conference was a planned meeting in Ghadames for organising elections and other components of a peace process in Libya. The conference was prepared over 18 months during 2018 and 2019 and planned to take place 14–16 April 201 ...

, for organising

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

and to revive the

Libyan peace process The Libyan peace process was a series of meetings, agreements and actions that aimed to resolve the Second Libyan Civil War. Among these were the Skhirat agreement of December 2015 and the plans for the Libyan National Conference in April 2019 t ...

. In February 2020, he eventually brought delegations from the two main sides in Libya's conflict to Geneva for peace talks, but key representatives suspended their involvement. Shortly after, shelling in Tripoli had again intensified into some of the heaviest bombardments since Salame brokered a ceasefire earlier that year. On 2 March 2020, Salamé resigned as the head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya citing stress and health concerns. In a statement on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

, he said he had been frustrated with foreign powers, particularly

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

for covertly backing

Khalifa Haftar Khalifa Haftar (; born 7 November 1943) is a Libyan-American politician, military officer, and the commander of the Tobruk-based Libyan National Army (LNA). In 2015, he was appointed commander of the armed forces loyal to the 2014 Libyan parliam ...

's forces in the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. On January 2025, Al Jadeed TV reported he is to serve as the Minister of Culture in the new Lebanese government.

Bibliography

Ghassan Salamé is the author of (inter alia) ''Quand l’Amérique refait le monde''; ''Appels d'empire: ingérences et résistances à l'âge de la mondialisation''; ''State and Society in the Arab Levant'', and editor (inter alia) of Democracy Without Democrats: Politics of Liberalization in the Arab and Muslim World; The Politics of Arab Integration and The Foundations of the Arab State. His essays have been published in Foreign Policy, Revue française de science politique, European Journal of International Affairs, The Middle East Journal and other scholarly journals. Selected Public Speeches and Articles
Les raisons des révoltes arabes
Le Monde, 8 février 2011.
Ghassan Salamé, poisson pilote des élites émergentes : l’ancien conseiller spécial de Kofi Annan, alors secrétaire général de l’ONU, dirige aujourd’hui la nouvelle Paris School of International Affairs de Sciences-Po
La Croix, October 21, 2010.
Discours à l’ambassade du Qatar à Paris
Cérémonie honorant Hubert Védrine et Ghassan Salamé, September 22, 2010.
Middle Easts, old and new
presented at the Oil and Money Conference, London, October 21, 2009.
A Clash of Norms
speech at the UN General Assembly on the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, New York, December 10, 2008.

Other activities

(ICG), Member of the Board of Trustees (2004-2016, since 2020) *

European Council on Foreign Relations The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is a pan-European think tank with offices in seven European capitals. Launched in October 2007, it conducts research on European foreign and security policy and provides a meeting space for decis ...

(ECFR), Member *

Paris School of International Affairs The Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) is a graduate school of Sciences Po (also referred to as the ''Institut d'études politiques de Paris'') based in Paris, France, and is one of the most prestigious graduate schools for internationa ...

(PSIA), Member of the Strategic Committee *

Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; ; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organisation, non-governmental organization headquartered in Paris, which focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its a ...

(RWB), Member of the Emeritus BoardEmeritus Board

(RWB).

Honours and awards

* 2004 : Arab cultural personality (Dubai) * 2003 : Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

(France) * 2003 :

Grand prix de la francophonie The Grand Prix de la francophonie is presented annually by the Académie française at the initiative of the Canadian Government to a personality who contributes to the development of the French language throughout the world. Laureates * 1986: ...

(France) * 1996 : Phoenix Prize (Lebanon) * 1996 : Special Prize from the Association of French Language Writers (Lebanon)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salame, Ghassan 1951 births Living people People from Beirut Lebanese Melkite Greek Catholics Lebanese political scientists Lebanese expatriates in France International relations scholars Academic staff of Sciences Po Columbia University faculty Saint Joseph University alumni University of Paris alumni Academic staff of the American University of Beirut Academic staff of Saint Joseph University Academic staff of the University of Paris Special Representatives of the Secretary-General of the United Nations People of the Libyan civil war (2014–2020) Special Envoys of the Secretary-General of the United Nations 21st-century Lebanese diplomats Culture ministers of Lebanon