Youssef Hajjar: A journey rich in contributions towards emancipatory societal development

12 October 2026

Phase one: Growing up and education (1941-1978)

Youssef Hajjar was born in Damascus, Syria, in the autumn of 1941.
He received his primary education in Syria up to 1952, then his complementary and secondary schooling in Lebanon, 1952-1962.
He studied theology in Jerusalem and France, 1963-1964.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences from the Lebanese University in Beirut, 1965-1968.
He obtained a Master of Arts in Social Sciences from the Higher School of Letters in Beirut (École supérieure des lettres), affiliated with the University of Lyon (France), 1970-1973.
He moved to France and worked on a doctoral thesis at René Descartes University (Paris V) on “ideological mobilization and reading of history in Modern Lebanon”, 1976-1978. However, he had to return to work before completing the dissertation.

(The old Damascene alleyways where Youssef was born and raised)

Phase two: Teaching and early professional career (1965-1976)

While pursuing his studies, Youssef practiced teaching in various primary and secondary schools in Lebanon, 1965-1970.
He moved to teaching and academic research in sociology and social work in various institutions in Lebanon, namely the Higher School of Letters in Beirut and the Lebanese School for Social Training, 1970-1976.
Meanwhile, he was also engaged with various voluntary civil organizations, particularly the Social Movement (Mouvement Social) in Lebanon.

Phase three: Regional and international institutional work (1978–1994)

He served as Associate General Secretary of the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) based in Geneva, and he edited the WSCF Quarterly,1978-1981.
He was the WSCF Middle East Secretary, coordinating the work from Beirut. His work included leadership training and the Popular Education Program, Paulo Freire’s approach to adult literacy, 1982-1986.
He then dedicated himself to freelance and consultancy work, and he helped to set up and coordinate the Inter-NGO Forum on Lebanon, 1986-1988.
He took the position of Director of Communications and International Programs at the British Refugee Council, a London-based NGO, 1988-1994.

Phase four:

He co-founded the Arab Resource Collective (ARC) with Ghanem Bibi and Dr. Ghassan Issa, serving as Co-Director and External Relations and Finance Coordinator, 1988-2007.

Phase five: Leading childhood programs, consultancies, and global impact (1984–2018)

He co-launched and coordinated the Early Childhood Development Program at ARC starting 1992.
He was a member of the management team of the Child Rights Information Network, London, 1997-2007.
He was an instructor of the course on Leadership of the Early Childhood Development Virtual University, run by Victoria University (British Columbia, Canada), and he delivered to learners in Cairo (2003), Sana’a (2005), and Malawi (2007).
He was a member of the Board of Healthlink Worldwide (London), 2004-2009.
He continued to carry out consultancies in early childhood policies, strategies, and programming following his retirement from full employment in 2007.
He served as a member of the Advisory Board of the Early Childhood Program of the Open Society Foundation based in London, 2008-2014.
He worked as an external advisor to the Wolfensohn/Brookings studies for scaling up ECCD programs in 14 countries including Arab countries, 2009-2011.
He was one of three coordinators of the Global Leaders Program of the World Foundation for ECCD, and he delivered sessions in Kuala Lumpur and Budapest (2007-2008) and in Belfast and Reggio Emilia (2009-2010).
He contributed to the development of Red River College short course on the Science of ECD adapted into Arabic, led the piloting delivery in 2014, co-facilitated the training of trainers in 2017, and trained professionals from the Ministry of Health in Jordan in 2018.

(At Ayia Napa Monastery, Cyprus)

Prominent impact on the Consultative Group for Early Childhood Care and Development

Strategic leadership and governance: Youssef represented ARC within the Consultative Group for ECCD since the mid-nineties, assuming multiple crucial roles over decades, including Regional Advisor, Treasurer, Executive Board Member (2005–2010), and Chair of the Board (2010–2011). Thereby, he helped to shape the group’s lobbying agenda and operational structure.
Organizational development: Youssef led efforts to draft the group’s foundational bylaws and established formal mechanisms for board elections, significantly strengthening the group’s collaborative and participatory governance model.

(Zanzibar, 2010, CGECCD)

Influencing and shaping global policies

Youssef represented ARC and the NGO Coalition for Children’s Rights at the 2002 UN Special Session on Children. He participated in drafting and guiding the session outcome document, successfully ensuring the inclusion of early childhood perspectives and children’s rights in international policies.

Regional advocacy and partnership building

He played a vital role as a bridge between the Arab region and the global community, bringing emerging local issues to the international dialogue. He adopted a collective leadership model by amplifying regional voices and building strong relationships with diverse international organizations to advance a shared global agenda.

Phase six: Transitioning from the Arab Resource Collective regional networking to establishing and supporting the Arab Network for Early Childhood (ANECD) (from 2010 until his passing away)

Youssef Hajjar played a pivotal role in advancing institutional work within the early childhood sector in the Arab region. He accompanied the transition from regional networking efforts within ARC to laying the foundations for ANECD, hosted by ARC, a driving force for EC.

2010 (Setting the ground and building a shared foundation)

Driven by his belief in the importance of collective action, Youssef actively contributed to revitalizing the regional networks of ARC ECD program. This effort was accompanied by the provision of necessary financial and professional support from the Early Childhood Program of the Open Society Foundation.
He was the rapporteur of UNESCO’s Arab High-Level Conference on ECCD (Damascus, September 2010).
He was selected as a member of the Expert Committee set up in 2009 by UNESCO to advise on organizing the World Conference on ECCE: Building the Wealth of our Nations. He attended the Conference in Moscow in September 2010.

(During a conference by ARC with the Open Society Foundations, Amman, 2010)

Between 2011 and 2014 (Preparatory phase and regional events)

Youssef facilitated all regional events for the Arab Program for Early Childhood Development. APECD was a key component of the Arab Regional Agenda for Improving Education Quality project based at ALECSO (the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization in Tunisia) and sponsored by the World Bank. APECD paved the way for the emergence of ANECD as a specialized regional entity.

December 2014 (Founding forum and launching)

This phase marked the inception of the institutionalization regional networking initiative. Yousef facilitated the Founding Forum that launched ANECD. The project would not have come to fruition or secured its long-term sustainability without the accumulated expertise and deep conviction regarding the importance of networking of Youssef joined by his partners, ANECD General Coordinator Dr. Ghassan Issa and Ghanem Bibi, and supported by Sarah Klaus and Tina Hyder from the Open Society Foundation.

(During the launch of ANECD, December 2014)

From 2014 until his passing (Leadership, guidance, and ensuring sustainability)

Yousef became one of the key founders of ANECD, its resource consultant, and an active member of its Advisory Board.
He consistently facilitated ANECD meetings, contributing with his valuable expertise to its conferences and to the development of its core concepts and operational mechanisms.
He worked to embed the “holistic, integrative, participatory, and inclusive approach” as a fundamental goal of ANECD, bringing together international, regional, and local organizations, alongside experts and academics, in order to operate as a unified entity dedicated to the well-being and happiness of children across the Arab countries.

(At OSF offices, London, 2016)

2023 (Final participation and milestone)

This year marked Yousef’s final participation in ANECD conferences, and it was at the first regional forum ANECD held in Cairo, “Caring for Young Children in a Turbulent World: Development Strategies in Arab Countries”. The forum was hosted by the Arab Council for Childhood and Development.

(The First Regional Forum, Cairo, 2023)

(From right to left: Youssef Hajjar, Nabila Espanioly, Ghassan Issa, Mouna Abbas, during the First Regional Forum, Cairo, 2023)

Key publications:

Youssef authored, co-authored, and reviewed numerous publications and books as part of ARC resources, including Civil / Non-Governmental Organizations in the Arab World (1994), Arab Civil / NGOs Action in Today’s World (1994), and Child-to-Child Story (1995).

Closure:

We expected Yousef Hajjar to attend the General Assembly meeting of ANECD in September 2025 to review and approve the draft of the new strategy (2026–2030). However, he was unable to attend at the last minute due to health reasons.

(Sculptures by Youssef Hajjar)