Hassan Diab

Biography

Hassan Diab is a former Prime Minister of Lebanon. As Prime Minister he formed the first cabinet in the Middle East and North Africa region in which women held 30 per cent of ministerial posts.

As Minister of Education and Higher Education from 2011 to 2014, he implemented a programme of educational reform; in the World Economic Forum’s 2013 report Lebanon ranked 10th in the world for the quality of its education and 4th for the quality of its mathematics and science education.

Over an academic career of 33 years he published more than 150 articles in scientific journals and conference proceedings, serving as Professor of Computer Engineering at the American University of Beirut and as Founding President of Dhofar University in Oman. An advocate for youth empowerment and educational reform, he received the Lebanese Order of Merit (Grand Cordon), and in 2007 he was one of 90 thinkers invited to the Biennial Festival of Thinkers in Abu Dhabi, alongside 20 Nobel laureates.

He joined United World Leaders as an Honorary Advisory Board member in December 2025.

From the Institution’s announcement of 8 December 2025. The original release (PDF)