Speaker: Sandy
Job title: Executive Director
Company: Skoun, Lebanese Addictions Center

About the spreaker
With over 15 years of experience championing civil liberties and personal freedoms, I have led and contributed to several national advocacy campaigns focused on social and criminal justice, freedom of expression, the rule of law, and access to health and education. Throughout my career, I have worked closely with communities affected by injustice, stigma, discrimination, and criminalization.   Currently, I serve as the Executive Director of Skoun, the Lebanese Addiction Center. Skoun is a non-governmental organization and one of the first outpatient facilities in Lebanon to provide accessible treatment, education, and harm reduction services for people who use drugs, while upholding core values of inclusion, accessibility, integrity, and dignity.   Prior to this role, I was the Executive Director of Helem, the first LGBTQIA+ rights organization in the Arab world. Based in Beirut, Helem's mission is to lead the struggle for the liberation of LGBTQIA+ individuals and people with non-conforming sexualities in Lebanon and the SWANA region. The organization works to protect and promote civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights by empowering queer leadership, fostering unity through diversity, and advocating for political and societal change.