Hélène Conway-Mouret (born 13 September 1960 in Bône,

French Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...

) is a French

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

of the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of ...

(PS) who has been serving as a member of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

since 2014, representing the constituency of French citizens living abroad.

Early life and education

Hélène Conway-Mouret was born on 13 September 1960 in Bône, French Algeria. She graduated from the

Lumière University Lyon 2 Lumière University Lyon 2 (french: Université Lumière Lyon 2) is one of the three universities that comprise the current University of Lyon, having splintered from an older university of the same name, and is primarily based on two campuses in ...

, where she received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree. She received a Higher Diploma in Education and a Master of Philosophy from

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

. She also received a degree in Management Practice from the

Ulster University sco, Ulstèr Universitie , image = Ulster University coat of arms.png , caption = , motto_lang = , mottoeng = , latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae , established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...

Early career

Conway-Mouret served as the chair of the language department at the

Dublin Institute of Technology Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT, ga, Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Bhaile Átha Cliath) was a major third-level institution in Dublin, Ireland. On 1 January 2019 DIT was dissolved and its functions were transferred to the Technological U ...

. She was also a visiting professor at the Pantheon-Sorbonne University.

Political career

Conway-Mouret joined the

in 1997. She was Minister for French Expatriates under

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

Laurent Fabius Laurent Fabius (; born 20 August 1946) is a French politician serving as President of the Constitutional Council since 8 March 2016. A member of the Socialist Party, he previously served as Prime Minister of France from 17 July 1984 to 20 Mar ...

in the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Jean-Marc Ayrault Jean-Marc Ayrault (; born 25 January 1950) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 15 May 2012 to 31 March 2014. He later was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2017. He previously was Mayor of Nantes from 1989 t ...

from June 2012 to March 2014. Additionally, she has served as a member of the Senate of France since September 2011, where she represents French citizens living abroad. Conway-Mouret is also part of the

Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) is an international, cross-party alliance of parliamentarians from democratic countries focused on relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC), and specifically, the Chinese Communist Party ...

. Conway-Mouret has encouraged French students to take part in the Erasmus Programme and live abroad to increase their human capital. She believes that French expatriates reflect well on French diplomacy. Additionally, she has worked on making it easier for French citizens who settle back in France after they have lived abroad for several years to enroll in the French healthcare, retirement and social security systems.

Other activities

* Institut du Bosphore, Member of the Scientific Committee *

Agency for French Education Abroad The Agency for French Education Abroad, or Agency for French Teaching Abroad, (french: Agence pour l'enseignement français à l'étranger; abbreviation: AEFE), is a national public agency under the administration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ...

(AEFE), Member of the Board of Directors (2011-2012, 2014–2017)

Political positions

Conway-Mouret supports

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

. In January 2013, months before it became the law of the land in France via

Law 2013-404 ) , citation ACT No. 2013-404 of 17 May 2013, territorial_extent = French Republic , enacted_by = Parliament of France , date_passed = 23 April 2013 , date_signed = 17 May 2013 , signed_by = President F ...

, she penned an opinion piece in ''

Le Figaro ''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French newspapers of r ...

'' arguing that same-sex marriage had been a success abroad, and that France should look beyond its borders and legalise it. Conway-Mouret is opposed to the repeal of French citizenship for dual citizens who commit terrorist activities, arguing that it would target dual citizens over regular French citizens. She has penned an opinion piece arguing against the 2016 bill. Ahead of the Socialist Party's 2017 primaries, Conway-Mouret supported

Vincent Peillon Vincent Benoît Camille Peillon (; born 7 July 1960) is a French politician who served as Minister for Education in the French Government. He is a longstanding French politician and, from 2014 until 2019, served as a Member of the European Parl ...

as the party's candidate for the

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...

later that year. In 2023, Conway-Mouret publicly endorsed the re-election of the Socialist Party's chairman

Olivier Faure Olivier Faure (French: help:IPA/French, �livie fɔʁ born 18 August 1968) is a French politician who has served as the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party, First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), Socialist Party since 2018 ...

.TRIBUNE. Congrès du Parti socialiste : 45 parlementaires apportent leur soutien à Olivier Faure
'' Le Journal du Dimanche'', 10 January 2023.

Recognition

Conway-Mouret is a Knight of the

National Order of Merit An order of merit is conferred by a state, government or royal family on an individual in recognition of military or civil merit. Order of merit may also refer to: * FIFA Order of Merit, for significant contribution to association football * PDC ...

. She became a Grand Officer of the Order of Saint-Charles in 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conway-Mouret, Helene 1960 births Living people Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Alumni of Ulster University Academics of Dublin Institute of Technology French senators of the Fifth Republic Grand Officers of the Order of Saint-Charles Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite Senators of French citizens living abroad Socialist Party (France) politicians University of Lyon alumni Women members of the Senate (France) People from Annaba 20th-century French women