Jumanah Zabaneh/ UN- Lebanon: Program Management Specialist UN WOMEN

9 October 2026 

It is with great sadness that I remember Youssef Hajjar, a former manager whose life journey was as rich as the many worlds his mind inhabited.

Youssef was exceptionally intelligent, sharp-minded, and a natural negotiator. He possessed that rare ability to read situations, understand people, and navigate complexity. Yet beyond his professional skills was a man of profound intellectual curiosity, an avid reader, a thinker, and someone whose conversations were always enriched by knowledge, reflection, and a deep understanding of the world around him.

Although much of his life and work took him beyond Lebanon, his mind and soul remained deeply attached to the Arab region. There was something profoundly rooted in the way he spoke, remembered, and connected with his origins. His attachment to his homeland and to the wider Arab world was not merely geographical, it was emotional, cultural, and deeply personal.

I particularly remember his love for old Arabic music and Tarab. In those melodies and voices from another time, one could sense his nostalgia, a poignant longing for the places, memories, and cultural roots that continued to live within him. It was his own way of remaining connected, of travelling back through music to a world that had shaped him.

Youssef’s journey through life was rich, complex, and interesting. He carried with him the experiences of different places and worlds, yet never lost the connection to where he came from.

May his soul rest in peace.