The Middle East Institute is honored to present Dr. Hanan Ashrawi with the 2012 Issam M. Fares Award for Excellence. This award, endowed by His Excellency Issam M. Fares, former deputy prime minister of Lebanon, honors an Arab individual for his or her outstanding contributions to the region in the realm of politics, culture, business, and philanthropy.

A noted Palestinian leader, legislator, activist and scholar, Dr. Ashrawi served as a member of the Leadership Committee and the official spokesperson for the Palestinian Delegation to the Middle East peace process beginning with the Madrid peace conference in 1991. In 1996, Dr. Ashrawi was appointed the Palestinian Authority's Minister of Higher Education, and was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council representing Jerusalem. In 2009, she was elected a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), making history as the first woman to hold a seat in the highest executive body in Palestine. She founded and continues to serve as head of the Board of Directors of the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH), and the National Coalition for Accountability and Integrity (AMAN). She also founded and is commissioner of the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR). Dr. Ashrawi is the author of This Side of Peace: A Personal Account (Simon & Schuster, 1995), which received worldwide acclaim.

The 66th Annual Banquet Also Features:

Keynote Speaker

Amb. Ryan C. Crocker

Former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria

MEI Visionary Award Honoree

Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel

President, Abdul Latif Jameel Co. Ltd.

MEI Award for Distinction in Civic Leadership

Naguib Sawiris

Executive Chairman, The Orascom Group

MEI Visionary Award Presenter

David M. Rubenstein

CEO, Carlyle Group