Mr. Rafic Hariri has been at the helm of five governments in Lebanon since 1992. For over a decade, Prime Minister Hariri has presided over the physical and economic reconstruction of a Lebanon torn by war. No such work has ever been accomplished under this limited time frame and conditions. Prime Minister Hariri is heading the current government after having been elected to office in April 17, 2003 and having received the support of 93 out of the 128 Members of the Lebanese Parliament.

Mr. Hariri was born in Sidon, Lebanon, in 1944, to parents who were dedicated to their three children, Rafic, Shafic, and Bahia. Mr. Hariri studied at elementary and secondary schools in Sidon, and pursued university studies at the Arab University of Beirut, majoring in commerce. He moved to Saudi Arabia in 1965 in search of a better life, working there as a school teacher, and as an accountant before starting his business as an entrepreneur, which took him very far thanks to his hard work, perseverance and ethics. He was able to build and deliver a hotel in Taef, Saudi Arabia in six months, a task rather impossible. There he married Mrs. Nazik Audeh Hariri and are parents to seven children and now seven grandchildren.

Mr. Hariri is a philanthropist, a self-made man who built his businesses single-handedly on the basis of his reputation as an honest, credible and trustworthy partner in all his endeavors. He believes that trust is the most important asset that guides people, personal and business relations alike. He is also renowned for his efficiency and dedication to his work and to every cause he champions as his quick rise in Saudi Arabia shows.

Mr. Hariri began his involvement in the political and economic life of his country long before he became prime minister. As a Lebanese businessman living in Saudi Arabia, he was concerned about the ongoing strife in Lebanon and he played a behind-the-scenes role as a mediator, advisor and promoter of cease-fires and agreements to end the civil war. He invested his time and contacts in the Arab world and outside to bring peace to his war-torn country. In 1982 for example, after the Israeli invasion, his firm, Oger Liban, became actively involved in the removal of destroyed buildings, the opening of streets and roads littered with roadblocks and sand bags, which paved the way for the resumption of normal life in the Lebanese capital.

In 1984, Mr. Hariri participated in the Geneva and Lausanne conferences to bring about political reconciliation in Lebanon and helped broker

initiatives to put an end to the civil war.

In 1989, Mr. Hariri was the power behind the Taef Agreement, which succeeded in ending the war and the drafting of a new constitution for Lebanon. This agreement was the political contract that laid down the principles of national reconciliation, which governs political life in Lebanon today.

- Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (1981)
- Chevalier of the Italian Republic (1982)
- Cedar National Medal / Rank of Commandor (1983)
- Saint Peter and Saint Paul Medal (1983)
- Save the Children 50th Anniversary Award (1983)
- Medal of King Faysal (1983)
- Médaille de la Ville de Paris (1983)
- Golden Key of Beirut City (1983)
- Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (1983)
- Officier de la Légion d’Honneur (1986)
- Doctor Honoris Causa of Boston University (1986)
- Docteur Honoris Causa de l’Université de Nice (1988)
- Doctor Honoris Causa of the Arab University of Beirut (1994)
- Goldaen Key of Sao Paolo City / Brazil (1995).
- Medal of the Liberator of Argentina – General José St. Martin (1995)
- Prix Louise Michel – France (1995)
- Doctor Honoris Causa of Georgetown University – Washington USA (1996)
- Grande Croix de la Légion d’Honneur (1996)
- The Grand Cordon (1996).
- The Order of Diplomatic Service Merit Grand Gwang Hwa Medal - Korea (1997)
- Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Ottawa, Canada (1997)
- Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Montreal, Canada (1997)
- Le Grand Collier du Trône – Morocco (1997)
- Cavalier du Gran Croce (1997)
- Al Nahda medal, First Category, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (2001).
- Medal of Honor of the Arab Union / The Arab Union of Veterans Associations (2001).
- “Star of Romania” at the rank of “The Grand Cross” (2002).
- Union Medal / Republic of Yemen (2002).
- Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon (2003).
- Orient Doctorate Degree, Moscow State Institute for International Relations (2003)
- UN-HABITAT Scroll of Honor Special Citation for Post Conflict Reconstruction / World Urban Forum, United Nations - Barcelona, Spain (2004).
- King Faysal International Award for Serving Islam, equally with the Islamic Bank for Development (2005).
- Tipperary International Peace Award (2005).