Sawsan BOU FAKHREDDINE

Active in the environment and sustainable development since 1997, she works currently as the Director General of the Association for Forests, Development and Conservation (AFDC) – a national non-profit organization specialized in forest and forest fire management and sustainable development functioning in collaboration with public authorities and local communities. Since February 2025, she has been assisting the Lebanese Minister of Agriculture as a Senior Advisor for Programmes and Projects development. Since 2010, she’s been the Chief Technical Officer for the Disasters Risk Management Unit located at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. She works in close cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities among other public administrations. Also, she contributed to several regional projects aiming at strengthening national capacities in disasters risk reduction and management such as Algeria, Syria, and Jordan.

Key Expertise: 

• 20 years of experience in designing, developing, implementing, and monitoring of environment and sustainable development project including policies and strategies with line ministries.
• 15 years of experience in developing disasters risk management and response strategies and contingency plans with national stakeholders, ministries, and municipalities including risks mitigation and prevention, preparedness, response, and early recovery.
• 15 years of experience in developing the capacities of government entities on initiation of operations rooms and coordination of response.
• 15 years of experience in developing Standing Operating Procedures (SOPs) for disasters risks management including SOPs for operations rooms.
• 20 years of experience in developing policies, strategies and plans for forest fires management and control.
• 5 years of experience in developing Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP) during emergencies and disasters for government agencies and private sector.
• Experienced in community engagement in environment conservation initiatives.