Our Story

45 Years of Sustainable Human Development

Since 1979, the years of war and turmoil between 1975 and 1990 had a destructive impact on the Lebanese economy and society at the political, administrative, educational, and security levels as well as on urban infrastructure. Lebanon was in economic isolation; the cost of total direct and indirect losses was estimated at 100 billion USD. Lebanese human capital was affected by war dynamics and repercussions; with 150,000 dead, 300,000 wounded or disabled, 17,000 missing, 1 million displaced, and 600,000 seeking refuge, an exceptional intervention was needed.

The Hariri Choice

In 1979, martyr H.E. Rafic Hariri took the decision to launch an unprecedented national rescue mission aimed at ending the war and saving Lebanon from isolation and intolerance and responding to the collapse and destruction. H.E. Rafic Hariri and H.E. Bahia Hariri incepted Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development, launching its first program to invest in nearly 36,000 students from all Lebanese regions and backgrounds through funding educational scholarships to pursue their studies in national and international universities and institutions across 27 countries worldwide. This educational program was paralleled with a national mission led by H.E. Rafic Hariri for reconstruction and state-building through the empowerment of institutions and individuals. Hariri Foundation embarked on the national mission, investing in knowledge and education and capitalizing on their potentials in disengaging young people from war and indulging them in building a safe, stable and prosperous future for Lebanon.

Decades

Well into its fifth decade since its inception, the foundation, presided by H.E. Bahia Hariri, has implemented more than 200 projects and activated more than 30 dedicated development centers across Lebanon. Hariri Foundation has effectively localized ever-transforming global frameworks and scientific modalities to address the needs and potentials of Lebanese sectoral societies and local communities. The Hariri’s choice through Hariri Foundation has been perceived to be the first-of-its-kind social and developmental framework in the Arab world for reorganizing post-conflict societies and promoting public order, where the whole of society is empowered to take part in sustainable national development. Hariri 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. Over the course of more than four decades, the foundation has advanced its approach and developed its programs and services to address national and global transformations. It has become a lead advocate of sustainable human development, expanding its developmental role to mainstream best practices of sustainability and resilience. The foundation has collaborated with hundreds of international and local organizations and networks to achieve Agenda 21, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Clickable Vertical Timeline with Image Slider

Decade 1: 1979-1989
(Decennial)

Decade 2: 1990-1999
(Vicennial)

Decade 3: 2000-2009
(Tricennial)

Decade 4: 2010-2019
(Quadragennial)

Decade 5: 2020-2029
(Quadracennial)

Timeline Animation

Decade 1: 1979-1989
(Decennial)
Decade 2: 1990-1999 (Vicennial)
Decade 3: 2000-2009 (Tricennial)
Decade 4: 2010-2019 (Quadragennial)
Decade 5: 2020-2029 (Quadracennial)

Decade 1: 1979-1989 (Decennial)

As a direct response to the needs of the war-afflicted population, the Foundation managed to secure the future of 34,000 Lebanese youth by extending scholarships at 1,766 universities and colleges worldwide.