Hisham Awartani

Dr. Hisham Awartani "is working to create a better quality of life for future generations in the Middle East. Through programs that he has developed and administered at the Center for Palestine Research and Studies (CPRS), he is helping to educate decisionmakers and the general public in the West Bank & Gaza and Israel. His commitment to building democracy and a market economy, especially in relation to Palestine, lie at the center of his career.

"Awartani is a Professor of Economics at An-Najah University in the West Bank city of Nablus, and he heads the Economics Depart-ment at CPRS. (See West Bank & Gaza) In those capacities, he is directing policy-oriented research on economic development, particularly as it concerns the performance of public sector institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the private sector.

"A graduate of the American University of Beirut and Bradford University in England, Awartani has held a number of key positions over the years: Steering Committee member of the Harvard University Project on the Economics of Transition After Peace; International Advisory Panel member at the Oxford University Refugee Studies Programme; founder of the Rural Research Center at An-Najah University. Awartani has written scores of publications, including his acclaimed textbook on The Economies of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, 1968 - 1992.

"In 1994-95, Awartani served as a member of the Palestinian delegation for economic negotiations with Israel. These were difficult talks, he admits, but he remains cautiously optimistic about the long-term prospects for peace."

• Academic Council, Fund for American Studies