Biography
Abbas Sibai is a public policy advocate, implementation entrepreneur, and community development practitioner with over 15 years of experience using participatory action and inclusive policy design in the EURO Mediterranean region, the UK, the USA, and Russia. His expertise lies in youth empowerment, community development, and advocacy for social change, addressing political polarisation to championing tobacco control and sustainable tourism.
Abbas was selected as a Leader for Democracy Fellow by the US State Department's MEPI Program and served as a research fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC, focusing on youth leadership post-Arab Spring. After the 2006 war in Lebanon, he co-founded "Aie Serve," a youth-led initiative combating political and sectarian divides among Lebanese youth. Abbas's advocacy work contributed to the National Youth Policy. In addition, his grassroots efforts within the Rotaract Club were pivotal in passing landmark anti-smoking/ tobacco control legislation (Law 174). Later, in 2012, he was recruited by the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon and appointed the technical focal point for the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
Parallel to his work, Abbas co-founded "Live Love Lebanon" in 2012, fostering positive communities through innovative projects in waste management, youth engagement, and sustainable tourism, notably after the 2020 Beirut Blast, the organisation represented civil society at Lebanon's Reform, Recovery, and Reconstruction Framework (3RF) which is structured around four strategic pillars, i) improving governance and accountability, ii) jobs and opportunities, iii) social protection, inclusion and culture, iv) improving services and infrastructure.
From 2017 to 2019, he focused on engaging the private sector in Peacebuilding efforts and courting violent extremism (CVE) at Search for Common Ground, and over three years at World Vision, focusing on social stability by mobilising youth in both host and refugee communities to develop advocacy campaigns targeting transparency and accountability at the municipal and national level.
He currently holds positions as Lebanon Chairperson, Global Board member of Fast Forward 2030, and Associate Member of Catalyst 2030 to enable young entrepreneurs to use the power of businesses to accelerate change and create prosperity for all through peer-to-peer learning, capacity building and collective partnership advancing the sustainable development goals.
As a Policy Leader Fellow, he delves into the examination of the Strategic Plan 2020-2024 of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), set forth by the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations - DG NEAR, with a dedicated focus on the dynamic southern neighbourhood amidst evolving geopolitical shifts.