Hind Kabawat
{{Short description|Syrian politician and activist, born 1974}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Hind Kabawat
| native_name = {{nobold|هند قبوات}}
| native_name_lang = ar
| image = Hind Kabawat 2016 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Kabawat in 2016
| office = Minister of Social and Labour Affairs
| term_start = 29 March 2025
| term_end =
| president = Ahmed al-Sharaa
| predecessor = Samar al-Sebai
| successor =
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1974}}
| birth_place = India{{cite web |title=تحمل الجنسية "الكندية".. من هند قبوات المرأة الوحيدة في حكومة سوريا الجديدة؟ |trans-title=Holds the Canadian Citizenship.. Who is Hind Qabwat, the Only Woman in the New Syrian Government? |url=https://www.alarabiya.net/amp/arab-and-world/syria/2025/03/30/-تحمل-الجنسية-الكندية-من-هند-قبوات-المرأة-الوحيدة-في-حكومة-سوريا-الجديدة |date=30 March 2025 |access-date=5 April 2025 |lang=ar}}
| death_date =
| death_place =
| spouse =
| party =
| relations =
| children =
| residence =
| alma_mater =
- University of Damascus (B.A. in Commerce and Economics)
- Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University (Master’s in Law and Diplomacy)
- Arab University of Beirut (Law degree)
| occupation = Professor, Researcher, Civil rights activist, Politician
| website = http://www.hindkabawat.com/
| awards =
- 2007 – Peacemakers in Action Award, Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding
- 2009 – Public Diplomacy Award, George Mason University
}}
Hind Aboud Kabawat ({{Langx|ar|هند قبوات|translit=Hind Qubwāt|rtl=yes}}; born 1974) is a Syrian and Canadian politician, researcher, international counsel and activist who is currently serving as Minister of Social and Labour Affairs in the Syrian transitional government since 2025.
She previously served as Director of Interfaith Peacebuilding at George Mason University's Center for World Religions, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution and deputy head of the Syrian Negotiation Commission's Geneva Office.{{Cite web |last= |date=2023-06-11 |title=Who is Hind Abboud Kabawat: A Fighter for Peace and Equality |url=https://syrianobserver.com/who/who-is-hind-abboud-kabawat.html |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=The Syrian Observer |language=en-US}} After the fall of the Assad regime, she was appointed by the presidency of Syria as a member of the Preparatory Committee for the Syrian National Dialogue Conference in February 2025.{{cite web |title=Syrian Revolution Archive - Individuals: Hind Kabawat |url=https://syrianmemory.org/archive/figures/62b6ba014fd8140001c2a141 |website=Syrian Memory |access-date=16 February 2025}}
Life and career
Kabawat has a BA in Economics from Damascus University, and a law degree from Beirut Arab University. She holds an MA in International Relations from Fletcher School at Tufts University of Law and Diplomacy, and certificates in Conflict Resolution and Strategy Leadership from the University of Toronto{{cite web |title=Hind Kabawat - Tanenbaum.org |url=https://tanenbaum.org/peacemakers-in-action-network/meet-the-peacemakers/hind-kabawat-2/ |website=Tanenbaum.org}} and in Negotiation from Harvard University.
A member of the Syrian opposition during the civil war, Kabawat served as the deputy head of the Syrian Negotiation Commission's Geneva Office, which is headed by Ambassador Abdullatif Dabbagh, former Syrian ambassador to the UAE.{{cite web|url=https://gulfnews.com/news/mena/syria/syrian-ambassador-to-uae-defects-1.1053545|title=Syrian Ambassador to UAE defects|first=by Shehab Al makahleh, Staff|last=reporter|date=25 July 2012}} The Syrian Negotiation Commission was formerly known as the High Negotiations Committee (HNC). In her position at the then HNC, she participated in all eight rounds of the 2017 Geneva peace talks on Syria. Hind Kabawat also serves as Director of Interfaith Peacebuilding at George Mason University's Center for World Religions, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution (CRDC).{{cite web|url=https://crdc.gmu.edu/about/staff/hind-kabawat/|title=Hind Kabawat - Center for World Religions, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution}} As part of her position at CRDC, she has directed CRDC's Syria program, which includes yearly overseas seminars in which she served as an adjunct professor for graduate and undergraduate students to learn about conflict resolution and civil society development. Through this program, she has also directed civil society and interfaith collaboration training for Syrians of various ages and with IDP and refugee status.
Kabawat is a founding member of Tastakel, a women's center dedicated to using non-violence and dialogue to address the ongoing conflict in Syria.{{cite web|url=http://www.tastakel.org/members-1/|title=Members|website=Tastakel}} This includes the running of multiple women's centers in Syria which provide education and counseling services, as well as hosting workshops on political engagement and peace-building for Syrian women both inside Syria and living as refugees in neighboring countries.
Until 2015, Kabawat was a Senior Program Officer at the United States Institute of Peace.{{cite web|url=https://www.usip.org/events/meet-syrias-rescue-workers-saving-lives-building-peace|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310214108/https://www.usip.org/events/meet-syrias-rescue-workers-saving-lives-building-peace|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 March 2017|title=Meet Syria's Rescue Workers: Saving Lives, Building Peace|website=United States Institute of Peace}} She formerly served as an advisory board member and consultant for the World Bank{{cite web|url=https://college.harvard.edu/challenges-negotiating-peace-syria|title=The Challenges of Negotiating Peace in Syria - Harvard College|website=college.harvard.edu}} and is a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post.{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/hindkabawat-515|title=Hind Kabawat - HuffPost|website=www.huffingtonpost.com}} From 1989 to 2014, she worked as international counsel in various law firms in Toronto.
In February 2025, following the previous fall of the Assad regime, Kabawat was appointed by the presidency of Syria as a member of the Preparatory Committee for the Syrian National Dialogue Conference. On 29 March 2025, she was appointed Minister of Social and Labour Affairs as the first woman and only Christian in the transitional government.{{Cite web |title=Hind Kabawat: First Christian, woman in the Syrian government {{!}} Al Bawaba |url=https://www.albawaba.com/news/hind-kabawat-first-christian-woman-joins-1602328 |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=www.albawaba.com |language=en}}
Awards
In 2007, Kabawat was named a Peacemaker in Action by the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding.{{cite web|url=https://tanenbaum.org/peacemakers-in-action-network/meet-the-peacemakers/|title=Meet the Peacemakers - Tanenbaum.org|website=Tanenbaum.org|date=22 July 2016 }} In 2009, she received the Public Diplomacy Award from CRDC at George Mason University.{{cite web|url=http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199916986.001.0001/acprof-9780199916986-chapter-7|title=Hind Kabawat|first=Marc|last=Gopin|date=1 November 2012|publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199916986.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-991698-6 }}
References
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= Notes =
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kabawat, Hind}}
Category:Beirut Arab University alumni
Category:Damascus University alumni
Category:The Fletcher School at Tufts University alumni
Category:Syrian expatriates in Canada
Category:21st-century Syrian politicians
Category:Ministers of social affairs and labour of Syria
Category:Politicians from Damascus
Category:21st-century Syrian lawyers