Our team
All our members are outstanding students, from all levels, from bachelor to master, and represent more than 60 countries from the Arab and Hispanic worlds.
Azzedine Lahlou, Chairman
Azzedine Lahlou is a Moroccan third-year student from Casablanca, with a passion for building bridges between cultures. He is presently pursuing a bachelor's degree in Politics and Government at Sciences Po Paris, specializing in the MENAT region. His commitment to intercultural dialogue led him to found Sciences Maroc, the first Sciences Po association dedicated to the Maghreb and North Africa, collaborating with leading figures such as President François Hollande, President Moncef Marzouki, and Arab League Secretary-General Amre Moussa, in events fostering cross-cultural connections. He further extended his impact by initiating an introductory course on the Maghreb at the American University in Cairo, which he taught for a semester. In addition, his journey to deepen his understanding of the MENAT region included stints at the Global Issues Department of the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as exchange semesters in Cairo and Istanbul. All these diverse experiences have fueled Azzedine's aspiration to spearhead initiatives that unite people worldwide and catalyze positive global transformation.
Ines Jabri, Diplomacy Commission President
Born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco, Ines Jabri is a junior enrolled in the Dual BA Program between Columbia University and Sciences Po Paris. Her diverse background has fueled a keen interest in foreign affairs, policy research, development economics, and sustainable finance. With a multifaceted profile and enriched cultural experiences, she offers a judicious perspective on challenges and adaptability to fast-paced environments. Studying at Sciences Po's Menton campus deepened her understanding of the MENA region, exploring its geopolitics and socioeconomic concerns. Majoring in Financial Economics at Columbia complements her passion for diplomacy, economic development, and sustainable growth. She has notably been Secretary General of Sciences Po's Mediterranean Model of United Nations 2023 (MEDMUN), biggest MUN of the Mediterranean. This blend aims to drive projects of economic diplomacy and development in emerging countries, reflecting her commitment to making a meaningful global impact.
Roger de Middel, Vice Chairman
Roger is an IB student at UWC Atlantic, an institution seeking to revolutionise the global educational system to bridge global divisions. As the Student Head, he is currently in charge of the Academic Department. Formerly, he oversaw the local Liberal Democrats' Youth and Student Division, where he collaborated closely with students from the most prestigious universities in the region, including UCL, LSE, and Imperial, to establish liberal societies, a move which significantly increased university students' involvement in liberal politics. He equally participated in the ‘UK Youth Parliament’. In addition to having a British, Spanish, Belgian and Italian background, he is fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and proficient in Portuguese.
Mokhtar Lasri, Cultural Commission President
Mokhtar Lasri is a third-year Sciences Po student from Morocco, currently enrolled in an exchange program at City, University of London. Born in Tangier, raised in Rabat, he studied for two years at Sciences Po’s Reims campus (Europe-Africa program), where he was involved in a wide range of associative activities. Driven by a passion for his country’s culture and history, he founded and chaired the Reims branch of the Sciences Maroc association. His deep-rooted interest for international relations also led him to join the Reims International Model United Nations (RIMUN) and complete a summer internship at the African Affairs Department of the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign African Affairs, subsequently developing a wide set of skills in information gathering, analysis and synthesis. He also volunteered with the Action Against Hunger’s ‘Run against Hunger’ campaign, with the aim of extending access to health information to elementary and secondary school pupils. Raised in a partially Spanish-speaking environment, he developed a curiosity for the shared history and culture of Morocco and Spain, which extended to an interest in Hispanic-Arab relations. He is fluent in Arabic, French and English, and is currently learning both Spanish and Tamazight.
Lucas Desgardin, Democracy Commission President
Lucas Desgardin is a third-year student at Sciences Po Paris. After spending a semester in Jerusalem, he is currently on exchange at the American University of Kuwait. Lucas comes from a dual Franco-Jordanian culture, and for several years now has nurtured a passion for this fascinating and complex region of the Middle East. Eager to embark on a career in diplomacy following his studies at Sciences Po, he works daily to promote a better understanding of the major geopolitical issues facing the Arab world. To this end, in 2022, he founded the first geopolitical research center founded by and for Sciences Po students: the CRS, Centre Étudiant pour la Recherche Stratégique (Student Center for Strategic Research).
Charlotte Pontevia, Economy Commission President
Charlotte Pontevia is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Management with a focus on finance at Georgetown University and holds a Bachelor’s degree from SciencesPo Paris. She has cultivated a multidisciplinary analytical skill set through diverse internships in banking, corporate law, and consulting in the artificial intelligence realm. Her Spanish heritage fuels her passion for fostering connections between Hispanic and Arab communities, aligning with the mission of the Economic and Trade Commission at Al-Andalus. She furthers her international experiences by having lived in several countries other than France and the United States, such as Canada and Hong Kong. She is keen on learning new languages and has taken courses of Arabic, Mandarin and German, as well as is trilingual in French, English and Spanish.