
Farah Al Shami
Arab Reform Initiative Team
Farah Al Shami is a Senior Fellow and Program Director for Social Protection at the Arab Reform Initiative. A policy and development economist, she brings over nine years of experience working with CSOs, UN entities, and academic institutes to advance rights-based public policy reforms in the Arab region. Her work focuses on social policy, economic development, inequality, governance, and gender justice, with expertise in research, advocacy, capacity building, and coalition facilitation. Farah has held roles at ANND, UN-ESCWA, and the Asfari Institute at AUB. She is a Fulbright alumna and holds a Master’s degree in Policy Economics from Williams College, as well as a Master’s degree in Economics from AUB and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from LAU.
Publications

Towards an Inclusive, Integrated, and Sustainable Social Protection System in Lebanon: Policy Dialogue Series Report

Reducing Inequality through Social Protection for Informal Workers: Challenges and Prospects

Financing Universal Social Protection Systems in the Arab Region: What Alternatives to Debt and Austerity?

Lebanon's Social Protection System Suffers Amidst the Current War: Urgent Action Needed!

Recent Social Security Reforms and New Pension System in Lebanon: Interview with ILO’s Rania Eghnatios and Luca Pellerano

“The Road to Marrakech” Ended on a Rolling Hill: What About the Spring Meetings and Beyond?

Arab Region Social Protection Systems: Research and Policy Design Challenges

Navigating Turbulent Waters: The Compounding Effects of a Pandemic and a War on the Mediterranean Basin

From Tangential Livelihood Programming to Integrated Social Protection: Conceiving a Long-Term Approach to Youth Economic and Social Policy in Iraq

IFIs and Social Protection: Gender Equality in Limbo

The COVID-19 Crisis and Health Inequality: A Reciprocal Magnification Effect in the Arab Region

Perceptions and Trajectories of Youth in Baghdad, Al-Basra, and Mosul after the 2014 Conflict with ISIS
