Laury Haytayan is a Lebanese oil and gas expert in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

and

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

. Since 2011, she has been leading the parliamentary capacity development portfolio at the

Natural Resource Governance Institute The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving countries' governance over their natural resources (in particular oil, gas and minerals) to promote sustainable and inclusive develo ...

(NRGI) in the MENA region, focusing on the legislative and oversight roles of Arab parliamentarians in advancing reforms in the Middle East Oil and Gas sector.

Personal life

Laury Haytayan was born to Armenian parents Garabed and Mayram Haytayan on 13 October 1975, exactly six months after the start of the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

. She was born and raised in

Antelias Antelias () is a city in Lebanon in the Matn District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate. It is located around 5 km to the north of Beirut. Etymology The name is originally Greek, ἀντήλιος – from ἀντί(anti) "contra" and ἥλ� ...

, a town on the coast of the

Metn District Matn (, '), sometimes spelled Metn (or preceded by the article El, as in El Matn), is a district (''qadaa'') in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon, east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut. The district capital is Jdeideh (followed to Jdeideh, ...

in the

Mount Lebanon Governorate Mount Lebanon Governorate () is one of the nine governorates of Lebanon, of which it is the most populous. Its capital is Baabda. Other notable towns and cities include Aley, Bikfaya, and Beit Mery. This governorate is named after the mount ...

. Haytayan pursued her bachelor's degree of Arts in

Communication Design Communication design is a mixed discipline between design and information-development concerned with how media communicate with people. A communication design approach is concerned with developing the message and aesthetics in media. It also crea ...

from the

Lebanese American University The Lebanese American University (LAU; ) is a secular private American university with campuses in Beirut, Byblos, and New York. It is chartered by the board of regents of the University of the State of New York and is recognized by the Lebane ...

Ras Beirut Ras Beirut () is an upscale residential neighborhood in Beirut, Lebanon. It has a mixed population of Christians, Muslims and Druze, and is associated with nonsectarian relations between members of thee groupings. Ras Beirut is home to some of ...

. The area was earlier restricted to Christians. She later earned a master's degree in 'Middle East Politics' from the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Laury later shifted her focus to the Oil and Gas Sector in Lebanon, as a means for national development and peace building. She speaks Arabic, English, French and Armenian.

Career life

Haytayan is the MENA Senior Officer at the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI). This was formerly the Revenue Watch Institute, a framework of the Natural Resource Charter. She leads both regional parliamentary and media programs and was involved in the development of a

MENA The Middle East and North Africa (MENA), also referred to as West Asia and North Africa (WANA) or South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA), is a geographic region which comprises the Middle East (also called West Asia) and North Africa together ...

extractive industries knowledge hub. Prior to joining NRGI, Haytayan was the executive director of Arab Region Parliamentarians Against Corruption (ARPAC), a chapter within the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption. She worked with parliamentarians from

Arab parliament The Arab Parliament is the legislative body of the Arab League. At the 19th Arab League Summit in Amman, the Arab states agreed to create an Arab Parliament, and came up with a resolution to give Amr Moussa the Secretary-General of the Arab Le ...

, developing strategies and action plans to strengthen the oversight and legislative capacities of parliamentarians to promote accountability and transparency. Previously, she was in charge of regional grass root projects focused on promoting the role of women in development and policy making in several GCC countries, specifically in

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

and

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. She also worked as grant manager, advocacy specialist and trainer for several international NGOs, including

International Research and Exchanges Board The International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) is an international, nonprofit organization that specializes in global education and development. IREX works with partners in more than 100 countries. History IREX was established in 1968 by ...

(IREX), Agricultural Cooperative Development International/Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (ACDI/VOCA), and

Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA; ) is one of five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The role of the Commission is to promote economic and social d ...

(ESCWA), focusing mainly on civil society democracy campaigns in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. She was invited by the

Carter Center The Carter Center is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization founded in 1982 by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter. He and his wife Rosalynn Carter partnered with Emory University after his defeat in the 1980 United States presidential ele ...

for the

Election monitoring Election monitoring involves the observation of an election by one or more independent parties, typically from another country or from a non-governmental organization (NGO). The monitoring parties aim primarily to assess the conduct of an elect ...

of the Tunisian parliamentary elections in 2011, the first elections following the Tunisian Revolution and the ousting of

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (Tunisian Arabic: , ; 3 September 1936 – 19 September 2019), commonly known as Ben Ali or Ezzine, was a Tunisian politician who served as the second President of Tunisia from 1987 to 2011. In that year, during the Tun ...

. Since 2004, Haytayan started working with different stakeholders such as youth, women, devastated communities and parliamentarians to build "pro-active" societies, and to promote a culture of accountability and transparency, and rule of law in public spheres and institutions. Haytayan received the Gold Shield of Excellence Award by the Arab Women Council in 2014 for her role in promoting social responsibility. Haytayan was honored on

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...

in 2015 by the Green Party of Lebanon for her work in supporting the participation of women in politics. In 2013 she ran for parliamentary elections in the Armenian Orthodox seat in Beirut. She also ran in the 2018 Lebanese parliamentary elections. In 2025 she teaches Geopolitics at the American University of Beirut. She also hosts a podcast and a monthly webinar on energy transition.

Publications

* "Beirut", Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia, edited by Michael Dumper & Bruce Stanley, December 2006 (English) * "Ohanes Pacha", Nairi Armenian Periodical, December 2008 (Arabic) * "What Unites Us", Nairi Armenian Periodical, December 2009 (Arabic) * "Armenian Christians in Jerusalem: 1700 years of Peaceful Presence", Politics and Religion Journal, Volume V (No.2), autumn 2011 (English)

Articles

Haytayan was featured in the

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

-based news agency

Interfax Interfax () is a Russian news agency. The agency is owned by Interfax News Agency joint-stock company and is headquartered in Moscow. History As the first non-governmental channel of political and economic information about the USSR, Interfax ...

discussing Lebanon's energy sector. She was quoted saying "Currently, I am not optimistic at all. A system that is incapable to deal with its rubbish is unable to manage a hydrocarbon sector. According to the 3D seismic survey offshore Lebanon, there is great potential. However, the risks in Lebanon are very high, which puts he countryin a weak position vis-a-vis the companies. The government needs to show real interest in institutional reforms before anything else." Haytayan was interviewed by the Voice of America about the challenges and opportunities of oil and gas discoveries in Lebanon, she says: "This goes beyond oil and gas, the sector could be used to rebuild trust in the government" Haytayan was interviewed by Executive Magazine about the importance of Beneficial Ownership in the oil and gas sector and especially in Lebanon. She is quoted saying: In many cases throughout the global oil and gas industry those companies bidding for - and sometimes winning - petroleum contracts have close ties to the government through connections that influence the award. These companies can mask the identity of their ownership: "They’re hiding behind companies and law firms, behind shell companies or even entities that do not exist" In another interview with the same magazine, she spoke on how civil society can already begin preparing for potential EITI implementation in Lebanon. "Civil society has to get together and they have to elect representatives" who will eventually be part of the MSG, she says. "If you don’t have representatives from civil society, you cannot start with the EITI because you don’t have the major body he MSGrunning the whole initiative." She also wrote an article for the magazine about the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and how it could benefit a country such as Lebanon Haytayan was interviewed by L’Orient Le Jour after receiving the Golden Award from the Arab Women Council in Dubai, for her achievement in “Social Accountability. In this interview she stressed on the need to have women role models in the region to encourage young ladies and women to pursue a career in difficult domains such as politics and public affairs” During an interview with NOW News, she said: The more Civil Society is informed, better it will be able to advocate for a more transparent and accountable process, building the capacity and technical expertise is crucial especially the sector is not developed yet. NGOs will need to advocate for open bidding, for publishing contracts, for the need to make the fiscal terms known. She was interviewed by iloubnan on the eve of the first parliamentary extension in May 2013, and said: It's a bullet in democracy for Lebanon.

Television Interviews

* Haytayan was interviewed on

LBCI The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (), widely known as LBCI (), Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation () or LBC () is a private television station in Lebanon. LBCI was founded in 1992 by acquiring the assets, liabilities and logo of ...

’s "naharkonsaid" to discuss the parliamentary elections of May 2013 and her program as candidate (2013) * Haytayan was interviewed on

Al Jadeed ''Al Jadeed'' (, ) is an independent Lebanese TV station. Based in Beirut it was launched in 1992 and closed in 1997 due to Syrian intervention, and then relaunched in 2001. On 9 May 2005, ''Al Jadeed'' was also launched in America and the ...

with Georges Salibi in "Esbou3 fi Saa'a" to discuss her program as a candidate for parliamentary elections and her views on Lebanon's current affairs. (19 October 2014) * Haytayan was interviewed with Shada Omar on "Kalima Horra" on

Télé Liban Télé Liban (also known as TL, ) is the first Lebanese public television network, owned by the Lebanese government. It was a result of a merger of the privately run Compagnie Libanaise de Télévision (CLT) (channels 7 and 9) and Télé-Orient ...

to discuss the second extension of the

Lebanese parliament The Lebanese Parliament (, ) is the unicameral national parliament of the Lebanon, Republic of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year term in Electoral district, multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's divers ...

in November 2014. She was the guest of the program along with MPs Walid Khoury and Joseph Maalouf (November 2014) * Haytayan was interviewed on

Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera English (AJE; , ) is a 24-hour English-language News broadcasting, news channel operating under Al Jazeera Media Network, which is funded by the government of Qatar. Al Jazeera introduced an English-language division in 2006. It is ...

to discuss the oil and gas sector in Lebanon. Haytayan said, "We are happy it has stopped for now. Initially, everything was moving at a very fast pace. The vast majority of people didn't know anything about the sector, and so could not hold the government accountable; plus, we need to know how to manage people's expectations." *Haytayan made an appearance in August 2015 on the pan-Arab news website "Arab Economic News", where she discussed the gas sector in both

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

and

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, and how Lebanon could learn from their experience.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine

References