Vera Baboun

2012 October: Bethlehem Mayoral Elections

Baboun led the Independence and Development bloc, made up of 12 Muslims and Christians in the Fatah movement campaigning to improve services and promote the tourism potential of Bethlehem. Her bloc was described generally as professionals and technocrats by Al-Ghad. Few expected Baboun to win. She ran against well-known male candidates as well as individuals supported by Islamists and left-wing Palestinians. By 12 Oct 2012, Fatah was leading polling by AWRAD research centre at 49%. Her bloc won the election on 20 Oct 2012 and Baboun was officially chosen as mayor in a closed session of the Bethlehem Municipal Council by the nine council members of her bloc who were popularly elected. Her opponents got six seats on the council.

Mayor of Bethlehem

As mayor, Baboun presides over a city with the highest unemployment in the West Bank. Bethlehem has a changing demographic, due to an outflux of the Christian population. She cites the presence of the Israeli West Bank barrier as an obstacle to growth by restricting the movement of people, ideas and goods. Of Bethlehem she states, "We are a strangulated city, with no room for expansion due to the settlements and the wall." She hopes to stop the flow of emigration by creating job opportunities for young people. She also hopes to regain international support lost while Hamas was in power. Baboun terminated her post on April 27, 2017. She did not participate in the local elections that took place in Bethlehem and all the West Bank in May 2017.

Books & Papers

2016: Pour l’amour de Bethléem, Ma Ville Emmurée, published by Bayard Editions.Paris

2014: Women and ICT in Africa and The Middle East; Changing Selves, Changing Societies. The book includes 27 gender researches by woman researchers from the MENA area in GRACE research network. My research entitled: Scheherazades of Today: Young Palestinian women use film, radio and social networking platforms to speak up and change, published by Zedbooks.UK

2012: "Edward Said: A Mentor Who Mastered Speaking Truth to Power" article published by This Week in Palestine

Awards

2017 May 14th: Received 'le Prix littéraire de l’Œuvre d’Orient on' Pour l’amour de Bethléem, Ma ville emmurée published by Bayard Paris, France.

2016 November 15: The Issam M Fares Award for Exellence from the Middle East Institute in Washington DC, USA.

AWARD PRESENTATION for Vera Baboun and SPEECH

2016 June 17: The "Premio Internazionale Giovanni Paolo II, XII Edition Salerno-Italy for defending and promoting the sacredness of life, in harmony with the Christian principles. Italy.

2016 July 14th: Conferred the Honorary Freeman of the Town of Quatre Bornes, Mauritius.

2016 May 29th: The Recognition A Star from the Rainbow - "10 JUST FOR THE WORLD" from "Comunità Villa San Francesco" Facen di Pedavena (BL)/ Italy.

2016 March 12: The Chiara Lubich Award for peace leadership and its values. the Focolare Movement in Italy Mundo Nuevo Association, Italy.

2015 December 10 : The Cross with Crown "PRO MERITO MELITENSI" OF THE SOVEREIGN ORDER OF MALTA by His most eminent highness the prince and grand master and the sovereign of the order.

.2015 December 3 : A Certificate of Appointment as Publicity Ambassador of HWPL by Manhee Lee for the efforts of peace making

2015 May 13 : The Medal of High Uniqueness of the City of Paris ( La médaille Grand Vermeil) by mayor Anne Hidalgo from the council of the city of Paris, France.

2014 December 19: The title and the insignia of the Star of the Knights of Italy (Ordine della Stella d'Italia della Presidenza della Repubblica) Italy.

2014 July 19 : the Pompeo Sarnelli in recognition of the role in serving the city of Bethlehem, and supporting its youth by the Cultural Association "Mons. Pompeo Sarnelli, Bisceglie", Italy.

Main Conferences (2015-2017)

2017 June 7 : New Cities Summit - Speaker in the 1st plenary panel entitled Understanding Urban Wellbeing, and the last plenary panel entitled Healthy Placemaking. Songdo, South Korea

2017 February 4 : Speaker at the United Nations Roundtable on the Question of Palestine. Managua, Nicaragua

2016 October 1: Created and administered the 1st Bethlehem District Diaspora Convention which was held in Bethlehem, Palestine

2016 November 17 r: National Democratic Institute - a discussion with Vera Baboun, Mayor of Bethlehem, on “Leading for Inclusion and Security: The View from Bethlehem,” moderated by BBC News Correspondent Jane O’Brien. Washington, USA

2016 October 19: 2 World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments provided formal input to the New Urban Agenda (NUA) to be adopted at Habitat III, taking place in Quito, Ecuador. Signed on the statement of the world assembly of Local and regional governments to habitat III

2016 October 12-15th: Participant at the NDI’s Woman Mayors’ Network (WoMN) delegation to the 5th UCLG Congress of Local and Regional Leaders in Bogota, Colombia and the UN HABITAT III Conference in Quito, Ecuador

2016 July 16: Speaker in Port-Luis and Quatre Bornes MainHalls. Mauritius

2016 April 19-20th: A speaker in The Atlanta Summit of Churches in the USA and the Holy Land entitled ‘Pursuing Peace and Strengthening Presence” Atlanta, USA

2015 December 4: Climate Summit for Local Leaders in Paris, France

2015 September 7: Speaker at the G7 Forum for Dialogue with Women headed by Prime Minister Angela Merkel. Berlin, Germany.

2015 June 26: Member of the presidential delegation to the signing ceremony of The Bilateral Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine, Vatican.

2015 April 16-17th: Headed the International Conference for the Historical Cities in the Mediterranean in Chefshawen, Morocco

2015 April 4: Speaker in Middle East Institute, “Grass-Roots Governing in Bethlehem” Washington, USA.

2015 March 13: Speaker at the First Women Mayors' Summit in Avcilar, Turkey.

2014 October 10: Speaker at the Forum of Mediterranean Cities in Naples, Italy.