Nadim Houry is a human rights lawyer with extensive experience working in the Middle East and North Africa region. He is currently the executive director of the Arab Reform Initiative (ARI), a leading regional think tank with offices in Paris, Beirut and Tunis, working for social justice, democratic reforms, and accountable institutions. Prior to ARI, Houry was at Human Rights Watch (HRW) for 13 years, where he started and ran HRW’s Beirut office for a decade before taking on the role of director of HRW’s Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Program.

His own research over the years has covered a wide range of topics from enforced disappearances to freedom of expression. Houry also worked in the UN as Deputy Counsel for the Volcker Commission which conducted investigations into allegations of corruption in the Oil-for-Food Program in Iraq. He has published widely and is often quoted in local and international media. A passionate advocate for change in the region, he has addressed the Security Council and the European Parliament on challenges in the Arab world.