Award-Winning Advocate Joelle AbouFarhat
Co-Founder & President, Fiftyfifty NGO
Founder, J.O. Branding Advisory
www.fiftyfiftylb.com | www.jobrandingad.com
Joelle AbouFarhat is one of Lebanon’s most influential and effective advocates for women’s political participation. As the Co-Founder and President of Fiftyfiftylb, a Lebanese NGO dedicated to achieving gender parity in decision-making positions, she has spent over 15 years systematically dismantling barriers and building pathways for women to enter politics. Her dual role as a Personal and Political Branding Expert through her agency, J.O. Branding Advisory, further amplifies her impact, equipping aspiring female leaders with the tools they need to not only run for office but to win.
Early Career and Foundation in Media
Joelle AbouFarhat’s journey began in journalism. She holds a master’s degree in “Journalism and Press Agencies” from the Lebanese University and spent her early career working as a reporter, Press Attaché, and television host. This extensive experience gave her an insider’s understanding of how narratives are shaped, how to communicate effectively, and how to command a public platform, skills that would later prove essential to her advocacy work.
In 2010, leveraging this expertise, she founded her own communication agency in Lebanon, J.O. Branding Advisory, which has since expanded with a branch in Dubai. Through the agency, she began guiding individuals, particularly those new to politics, in crafting authentic public personas and developing clear messaging to become confident, inspirational leaders.
Building the Infrastructure for Change (2013-2017)
Driven by a growing concern over women’s absence from political life, Joelle AbouFarhat co-founded Fiftyfifty lb, a Lebanese NGO that actively engages both women and men in promoting gender equality across the public and private sectors, with a primary focus on political decision-making positions.
Understanding that cultural change requires both grassroots mobilization and institutional reform, she collaborated with legal experts to draft two proposed “female quota laws” aimed at securing greater representation for women in both Parliament and Municipal councils. These proposals continue to be discussed in parliamentary commissions and among Lebanon’s political parties, representing a critical step toward systemic, lasting change.
Recognizing the power of media to shift public perception, Joelle AbouFarhat conceptualized and launched Lebanon’s first television political talk show dedicated to women in politics. Titled “Fifty Fifty in Politics,” the program served as a groundbreaking platform to showcase female candidates, discuss their platforms, and challenge the deeply ingrained biases of the Lebanese electorate.
To further cement women’s visibility in public life, she created the digital archive Women Power Lb. This comprehensive website highlights Lebanese women across the political spectrum, featuring profiles of more than 1,000 individuals who have run as candidates, been elected, or appointed to decision-making positions in political and public life. It stands as both a historical record and an inspirational resource for the next generation.
Transforming Lebanon’s Electoral Landscape (2018-2022)
Through comprehensive empowerment programs, strategic media campaigns, and tireless mentorship, Joelle AbouFarhat and her team at Fiftyfiftylb have encouraged and supported more than 300 women to leap into public office.
This work fundamentally transformed Lebanon’s electoral landscape. In the 2018 parliamentary elections, the number of female candidates increased dramatically. Building on that momentum, by the 2022 parliamentary elections, the number had skyrocketed from a mere 12 in 2009 to an unprecedented 157 candidates, a surge for which AbouFarhat and her team are largely credited.
Her leadership has extended across more than 40 projects focused on women’s political empowerment, and she has successfully cultivated a robust network of over 600 women committed to supporting the cause and encouraging greater female engagement in Lebanese politics.
Recent Work and Continued Impact (2023-Present)
In 2023, Joelle AbouFarhat supervised programs designed to prepare female candidates for the Municipal elections, ensuring a steady pipeline of empowered women ready to serve their communities at the local level.
Her relentless advocacy continues to earn widespread recognition. She is the recipient of the prestigious “Evelyne Bustros” award for her work on empowering women in politics.
A National Commitment to Greater Women’s Representation in Municipalities
In April 2025, ahead of the municipal elections, Joelle AbouFarhat worked tirelessly to pass the women’s quota law, which had already been endorsed by five out of seven political coalitions. However, with no parliamentary plenary session scheduled and time running out, the law could not be adopted.
In response, Joelle launched the SALMA Agreement, a pioneering initiative by FiftyFifty. The agreement was a moral and political commitment to increase women’s representation in municipal councils.
Backed by a strong social media campaign and signed by more than 1,000 political entities, the SALMA Agreement became a key tool in boosting women’s participation, helping raise female representation in municipalities from 5.4% to 10.4%.
L’Oréal Paris’s “Women of Worth” 2025 gala dinner
In June 2025, her impact was celebrated on a global stage when she was named an honoree at L’Oréal Paris’s “Women of Worth” 2025 gala dinner, held at the gardens of Sursock Palace in Beirut. The award honored her as a “Women’s Rights and Gender Justice Advocate,” recognizing her as a trailblazer, a feminist voice, and a passionate advocate paving the way for a more just world. The event celebrated her resilience, innovation, and remarkable contributions to her community and Lebanon more broadly.
Editor’s Note
Joelle AbouFarhat is exactly the kind of leader Executive-Women Global exists to spotlight. While I have not had the privilege of meeting her personally, studying her career trajectory reveals someone who is not just an idealist but a brilliant strategist. What strikes me most is how she built her expertise methodically, starting in media, moving into communications and branding, and then applying those skills to political advocacy. She doesn’t simply advocate for more women in politics; she builds the infrastructure to get them there. From drafting legal quota proposals to launching television shows to creating a digital archive of over 1,000 women politicians, every initiative addresses a specific barrier. In a country facing immense challenges, her ability to increase female parliamentary candidacies from 12 to 157 in just over a decade is nothing short of remarkable. The L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth honor, received in June 2025, is a fitting global acknowledgment of a leader who is, quite literally, reshaping the political landscape of Lebanon.
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