Najat Vallaud-Belkacem
Najat Vallaud-Belkacem (born Najat Belkacem on 4 October 1977) is a French socialist politician, who on 25 August 2014 was the first French woman to be appointed Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Research, joining the Second Valls Government.[2]
Najat Vallaud-Belkacem | |
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Minister of National Education, Higher Education and Research | |
In office 27 August 2014 – 10 May 2017 | |
President | François Hollande |
Prime Minister | Manuel Valls Bernard Cazeneuve |
Preceded by | Benoît Hamon |
Succeeded by | Jean-Michel Blanquer (National Education) Frédérique Vidal (Higher Education and Research) |
Minister of Women's Rights, Minister of City Affairs, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports | |
In office 2 April 2014 – 25 August 2014 | |
President | François Hollande |
Prime Minister | Manuel Valls |
Preceded by | herself (Women's Rights) François Lamy (City Affairs) Valérie Fourneyron (Sports) |
Succeeded by | Marisol Touraine (Women's Rights) Patrick Kanner (City, Youth affairs and Sports) |
Minister of Women's Rights | |
In office 16 May 2012 – 31 March 2014 | |
President | François Hollande |
Prime Minister | Jean-Marc Ayrault |
Preceded by | Catherine Vautrin |
Government's spokesperson | |
In office 16 May 2012 – 31 March 2014 | |
President | François Hollande |
Prime Minister | Jean-Marc Ayrault |
Preceded by | Valérie Pécresse |
Succeeded by | Stéphane Le Foll |
Conseillère générale of the Rhône department | |
Assumed office 16 March 2008 | |
Personal details | |
Born | [1] Rif, Bni Chiker, Nador province, Morocco | 4 October 1977
Nationality | |
Political party | Socialist Party |
Spouse(s) | |
Children | Louis-Adel Vallaud Nour-Chloé Vallaud |
Alma mater | Sciences Po |
Previously she was Minister of Women's Affairs (16 May 2012 to 25 August 2014, Ayrault government and First Valls Government, Minister of City Affairs (2 April 2012 to 25 August 2014, First Valls government), Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports (2 April 2012 to 25 August 2014, First Valls government), and Government spokesperson (16 May 2012 to 31 March 2014, Ayrault government).
Vallaud-Belkacem was the spokesperson of Ségolène Royal's campaign during the 2007 French presidential election and again in 2009 for the 2011 French Socialist Party presidential primary. Since 2008, she has been a councillor of the city of Lyon, responsible for major events, youth and community life.
In 2020, she was appointed as an affiliated professor at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Ben Guerir, Morocco.[3]
Early life and education
Second in a family of seven children, Najat Belkacem was born on 4 October 1977[4] in the Moroccan countryside in Bni Chiker, a village near Nador in the Rif region.[1] Her grandmothers were respectively Spanish and Algerian.[5] In 1982 she joined her father, a construction worker, with her mother and elder sister Fatiha, and grew up in the suburbs of Amiens.[6]
Vallaud-Belkacem graduated from the Institut d'études politiques de Paris (Paris Institute of Political Studies) in 2002. At the Institut she met Boris Vallaud, whom she married on 27 August 2005.[7]
Political career
Vallaud-Belkacem joined the Socialist Party in 2002 and the team of Lyon mayor Gérard Collomb in 2003, leading actions to strengthen local democracy, the fight against discrimination, promotion of citizen rights, and access to employment and housing.
Elected to the Regional Council of Rhone-Alpes in 2004, she chaired the Culture Commission, resigning in 2008. In 2005, she became adviser to the Socialist Party. In 2005 and 2006 she was a columnist for the cultural programme C'est tout vu on Télé Lyon Municipale alongside Stéphane Cayrol.
In February 2007 she joined Ségolène Royal's campaign team as a spokeswoman, alongside Vincent Peillon and Arnaud Montebourg.
In March 2008 she was elected conseillère générale of the Rhône department in the cantonal elections with 58.52% of the votes in the second round, under the banner of the Socialist Party in the canton of Lyon-XIII.
On 16 May 2012, Vallaud-Belkacem was appointed to French President François Hollande's cabinet as Minister of Women's Rights and spokeswoman for the government.
After 15 years in public office, Vallaud-Belkacem decided to take a break from politics in June 2017. Despite speculation, she announced that she would not seek the leadership of the Socialist Party at the Aubervilliers Congress in 2018.[8]
Career in the private sector
In March 2018, Vallaud-Belkacem joined research and polling firm Ipsos as CEO of its Global Affairs division.[9] The department carries out research (on impact, public policy evaluation…) that helps international institutions, NGOs, international foundations and other actors which act in the global public interest better make decisions.
In addition to her work with Ipsos, Vallaud-Belkacem launched and co-directs the Gender Equality and Public Policy programme at the Paris Institute of Political Studies.[10] She also heads Raison de Plus, a collection of progressive essays published by Fayard.[11]
Political positions
Vallaud-Belkacem supports having the French government force Twitter to filter out hate speech that is illegal under French law, such as speech that is homophobic.[12] Regarding same-sex marriage in France, she has stated that its legalisation is a matter of "historic progress".[13]
Personal life
Vallaud-Belkacem describes herself as a "non-practicing Muslim".[14]
Works
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Najat Vallaud-Belkacem. |
- News, Morocco World (2 September 2015). "France: Moroccan-Born Myriam El Khomri Appointed Minister of Labor". Morocco World News. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
- "France's new education minister prompts rightwing protests". The Guardian. 27 August 2014.
- Crétois, Jules (19 June 2020). "Najat Vallaud-Belkacem rejoint l'Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique de Marrakech – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- http://africanleadership.co.uk/blog/?p=7627. Retrieved 13 April 2017. Missing or empty
|title=
(help) - "Najat Vallaud Belkacem, du Rif aux bancs de Sciences Po". Franceinfo (in French). 30 November 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- Jacques Bertoin, "Najat Belkacem, la vie en rose", Jeune-afrique.com, 18.
- "maillm69.com". maillm69.com.
- Cécile Amar (3 January 2018). "Najat Vallaud-Belkacem ne briguera pas la tête du PS : "Je ne veux pas d'une vie réduite à la politique"". L'Obs. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- "Najat Vallaud-Belkacem embauchée chez Ipsos". leparisien.fr. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
- "Certificat Égalité femmes-hommes (École d'affaires publiques)".
- "Raison de plus - Une collection dirigée par Najat Vallaud-Belkacem". Fayard. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- Farago, Jason (2 January 2013). "In praise of Vallaud-Belkacem, or why not to tolerate hate speech on Twitter". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
- "France and gay marriage: Pink pride in Paris - The Economist". The Economist.
- "Muslim Minister in French Government Calls for Twitter to Censor Tweets that Don't Respect Human Rights". Retrieved 24 January 2013.
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Benoît Hamon |
Minister of National Education 2014-2017 |
Succeeded by Jean-Michel Blanquer |