Patricia Elias

Patricia Elias

Patricia Elias is a French-Lebanese lawyer. Patricia specializes in International Law, as well as Arab, French, English, and North American laws. She is an expert on gender equality, women’s empowerment, women’s political participation and leadership, and ending violence against women and girls, as well as on rule of law and governance. She is the founder of the NGO “Avenir Liban,” which supported the creation of the first Ministry of State for Women in Lebanon. As Chief of the global diplomatic campaign for Every Woman Treaty, she leads the overall campaign and represents it to world leaders, Heads of States, Presidents, and Prime Ministers. She is a former senior advisor and coordinator at the UN Women regional office for the Arab States and a UN Women certified trainer in women’s political participation and leadership. She was the editor of Lebanon’s 4th shadow report for the UN CEDAW committee on women’s access to justice and the 6th shadow report on women’s political participation and leadership.

She was also an Independent candidate to be a Member of Parliament representing the French in Africa and the Middle East, including over 49 African & Arab countries. She ranked No. 2 in Lebanon and No. 3 among 19 candidates across the 49 countries. As a humanitarian activist, she has built an orphanage in Cameroon and worked with street children in Gabon. She was awarded the Medal of Community Commitment by the Prefecture of Paris and Ile de France.