Assayyad



Honors and Awards

In recognition of his national services and charitable activities, many States, universities and churches, as well as different private organizations, honored his Excellency Issam FARES by giving him prestigious decorations and awards, the most important of which are:

• Honor of Saint Aphrem the Syrian Commander, Commander with Star of the Order of Merit offered during an official trip to Poland.
• Medal of Saint Petersburg’s Tercentenary (Russian Federation). Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Task Force for Lebanon (Washington).
• Order of the Prince Yorslav the Wise 2^nd Rank (Ukraine)
• Honorary Doctorate Causa awarded by the Diplomatic Academy of Moscow.
• Honorary Doctorate of International Public Affairs awarded by Tufts University - USA.
• The National Cedars Order - Knight grade - Lebanon.
• The National Cedars Order - Grand Officer grade - Lebanon.
• The Order of Sts. Peter and Paul offered by the Orthodox Patriarchate.
• Order of St. John the Baptist of Damascus from the Patriarch of Antioch & All the East.
• The Grand Cordon of Archon Depoutatos awarded by the Archbishop of Constantinople.
• The Grand Cordon of Saint Daniel from the Patriarchate of Moscow and all Russia.
• National Legion of Honor - Grand Officer grade - France.
• Gold decoration awarded by the International Maronite Foundation.
• Gold Medal of Merit awarded by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of New York & North America.
• Gold Merit from the Central Maronite Council - Lebanon.
• The Grand Cross of the Phoenix - Greece.
• Award of the International Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Christian Nations - Patriarchate of Moscow and all Russia.
• Golden Medal of Acropole awarded by UNESCO.
• Al-Ahd National Merit awarded by H.E. the President of Algeria.
• Grand Commander of the Order of Makarius the 3^rd awarded by the President of Cyprus.
• Order Stara Planina 1 Class offered during an official trip to Bulgaria.
• Honorary Golden Medal awarded by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Bulgaria.

His Excellency was the first to have turned the bureau of the Deputy Prime Minister into a place for political activity and serious studies.

Important private universities have benefited from the contributions of the foundation such as the American University of Beirut (AUB), University of Balamand and Notre Dame University - Louaize (NDU). The foundation has also provided funding to primary and secondary schools, particularly in the impoverished rural areas in Lebanon, as well as to hospitals, dispensaries and many health care and rehabilitation centers, which were mostly instituted in the post-civil war period in Lebanon by Christian and Islamic charities.

Moreover, the foundation has ensured the development of rural areas by building roads, digging wells and applying new technologies and training programs.

International Programs

Like in Lebanon, his Excellency Issam FARES provides funding for universities and enterprises in USA, Europe, Russia and the Middle East, particularly Tufts University in Massachusetts, USA, where big projects are named after him, including: FARES Equitation Center, Issam FARES Professorship Chair and FARES Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies, in addition to what is known today as the “Issam FARES Lecture Series” which hosted outstanding lecturers such as George W. BUSH, Margaret THATCHER, Bill CLINTON and Colin POWELL. In Moscow, his Excellency offers financial support to the Diplomatic Academy and charitable projects led by Patriarch ALEXY. In Lebanon, the Issam FARES Chair in the University of Balamand is a platform for regional and international leaders to freely express their thoughts in the Middle East international affairs.

As he was, and is still, a leading statesman with extensive connections in the region and the West, his Excellency is frequently invited to give lectures, to participate in panel discussions and to issue statements on specific subjects. He has lectured at the Council on Foreign Relations, at Tufts University, at the Diplomatic Academy in Moscow, at the University of Balamand, and frequently at special political events in Lebanon. His speeches were published in two documentary volumes.

Issam FARES Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs

In 2006, the Issam FARES Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs was established at the American University of Beirut (AUB) to harness different research of AUB academics and other experts in those fields and to contribute to international affairs and public-policy making in the Arab World. The institute is neutral, dynamic, civil and open space that brings together people representing all viewpoints of the society. It has three goals:

• To enhance public policy and decision-making debate in the Arab World and abroad.
• To improve Arab World’s input in international relations.
• To raise the quality of interaction between scholars, officials and civil society actors in the Middle East and abroad.