Nawaf Salam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nawaf Salam
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نوّاف سلام
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Salam in 2025
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| 53rd Prime Minister of Lebanon | |||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 8 February 2025 |
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| President | Joseph Aoun | ||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Tarek Mitri | ||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Najib Mikati | ||||||||||||||||||
| President of the International Court of Justice | |||||||||||||||||||
| In office 6 February 2024 – 14 January 2025 |
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| Vice President | Julia Sebutinde | ||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Joan Donoghue | ||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Yuji Iwasawa | ||||||||||||||||||
| Judge of the International Court of Justice | |||||||||||||||||||
| In office 6 February 2018 – 14 January 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Christopher Greenwood | ||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Vacant | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Nawaf Abdallah Salim Salam
15 December 1953 Beirut, Lebanon |
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| Political party | Independent | ||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Sahar Baassiri | ||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Salim Ali Salam (grandfather) Saeb Salam (uncle) Tammam Salam (cousin) |
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| Education | Harvard University (LLM) Sciences Po (PhD) Sorbonne University (PhD) School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences) International College, Beirut |
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| Occupation | International Judge • Diplomat • Academic • Politician | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  |
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Nawaf Abdallah Salim Salam (Arabic: نوّاف عبد الله سليم سلام) was born on December 15, 1953. He is a Lebanese politician, diplomat, and judge. Since February 8, 2025, he has been serving as the 53rd Prime Minister of Lebanon.
Before becoming Prime Minister, Salam was a judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ is the main court of the United Nations (UN), where countries can settle their disagreements peacefully. He served there for seven years, starting in 2018. In 2024, he was chosen to be the President of the ICJ. This made him the first Lebanese judge and the second Arab judge to hold this important position.
From 2007 to 2017, Salam was Lebanon's Ambassador to the United Nations in New York. During this time, he also led the Security Council and was Vice President of the General Assembly. He comes from a well-known political family in Lebanon. He studied in France and the United States and worked as a university teacher and lawyer.
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Family and Education
Nawaf Salam was born in Beirut, Lebanon, into a famous family. His grandfather, Salim Salam, was a leader in Beirut and was elected to the Ottoman parliament in 1912. His uncle, Saeb Salam, helped Lebanon gain independence and served as Prime Minister four times. His cousin, Tammam Salam, was also Prime Minister of Lebanon.
Nawaf Salam is married to Sahar Baassiri, who is an ambassador for Lebanon to UNESCO. They have two sons, Abdallah and Marwan.
Salam has a strong educational background. He earned a doctorate in political science from Sciences Po in Paris in 1992. He also received a master's degree in law from Harvard Law School in 1991. In 1979, he earned a doctorate in history from Sorbonne University.
Career Highlights
Early Career and Teaching
From 1979 to 1981, Salam taught about the history of the Middle East at Sorbonne University. He also spent time as a visiting scholar at Harvard University.
Between 1985 and 2007, he taught International Law and International Relations at the American University of Beirut. He also worked as a lawyer during some of these years. From 2005 to 2007, he was the head of the Political Studies and Public Administration Department at the university.
Work for the Public
Salam has been involved in many public service roles. He was part of the Economic and Social Council of Lebanon from 1999 to 2002. He also served on the Lebanese National Commission of UNESCO.
In 2005 and 2006, he helped create a new election law for Lebanon as part of the National Commission on Electoral Reform. He also served on the board of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies. This group works to improve how Lebanon is governed. In 1996, he helped start the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE). This group helps make sure elections are fair and open.
Ambassador to the United Nations
From July 2007 to December 2017, Nawaf Salam was Lebanon's Ambassador to the United Nations in New York. This meant he represented Lebanon and its interests to the world.
During his time at the UN, he often spoke to the United Nations Security Council. He called for peace and stability in South Lebanon. He also worked to keep Lebanon out of the conflict in Syria. He pushed for justice in the case of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.
Lebanon was a temporary member of the Security Council in 2010 and 2011. During this time, Salam served as the President of the Security Council twice. He also served as Vice-President of the United Nations General Assembly from 2012 to 2013.
International Court of Justice
On February 6, 2024, Nawaf Salam was elected as the President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ is the highest court of the United Nations. It settles legal disputes between countries and gives advice on legal questions.
As President, Salam oversaw important cases. One of these was a case brought by South Africa against Israel. He resigned from the court in January 2025 when he was nominated to become Prime Minister of Lebanon.
Becoming Prime Minister
Nawaf Salam was considered for the role of Prime Minister in 2022. However, Najib Mikati was chosen instead.
In January 2025, after Joseph Aoun was elected as president of Lebanon, many members of parliament agreed to nominate Salam for Prime Minister. His nomination was supported by many countries. On January 13, 2025, 84 out of 128 members of parliament nominated him. This made him the Prime Minister-designate of Lebanon. He officially became Prime Minister on February 8, 2025.
As Prime Minister
As Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam has stated his goals for Lebanon. He wants to bring different political groups together and promote unity. He has also promised to strengthen the Lebanese government's control over the entire country. This includes fully putting into action United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for peace in the region.
Salam has also pledged to reopen investigations into the Beirut port explosion. This terrible event caused a lot of damage and loss of life. He wants to work with international partners on this issue. On January 16, 2025, it was announced that the investigation had restarted.
His cabinet, which is his team of government ministers, was confirmed by President Joseph Aoun on February 8, 2025.
Awards
In 2012, Nawaf Salam was given the French Legion of Honour (Légion d'honneur). This is a very high award given by France. He received it at the rank of Officer from President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Publications
Nawaf Salam has written many books and articles. His writings cover topics like political and constitutional reform in Lebanon. He has also written about changing election laws and fighting corruption. He believes in making the justice system stronger and promoting the rule of law. He has also written about citizenship and civil society in the Arab world, and how international law has developed.
See also
In Spanish: Nawaf Salam para niños
