Bilal Farhat, Economic Affairs Consultant

Bilal Farhat

Economic Affairs Consultant

United Nations – ESCWA

Location
Lebanon
Education
Master's degree, Master of Sustainability & Leadership
Experience
6 years, 2 Months

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Work Experience

Total years of experience :6 years, 2 Months

Economic Affairs Consultant at United Nations – ESCWA
  • Lebanon
  • My current job since March 2020

• Researched and drafted 7 UN-ESCWA flagship publications on sustainable development, socioeconomic trends, political economy, and public policy and governance topics in the MENA region's least developed and conflict-affected countries.
• Managed and led a multidisciplinary team of 4 analysts and research assistants in conducting quantitative and qualitative analysis, overseeing completion of 4 projects, and producing 36 reports, technical papers, policy briefs, and country profiles.
• Developed methodologies for assessment and evaluation of 5 regulatory fields (including competition and foreign direct investment policies), and national strategies through quantitative and qualitative analysis, surveys, and interviews.
• Contributed to monitoring and evaluation projects for 2 national development plans and visions by forming work plans, inception reports, data structures, performing quantitative analyses, KPI Identification, and drafting progress reports.
• Utilized econometric models for forecasting economic indicators based on different policy scenarios.
• Headed in-depth market studies and benchmarking analyses, advising strategies of competition authorities.
• Spearheaded data management and utilized MS PowerBI to produce dashboards and informative data portals.
• Transformed complex economic policy data into visually engaging graphics and dashboards, crafted 50+ presentations and infographics within collaborations with UNGC, UN partners, the OECD, and government entities.
• Planned and orchestrated 5 international forums, 6 webinars, and 10+ expert group meetings.
• Collected, analyzed, and produced data to assess over 240 sectoral and national alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2030.

Research Analyst Intern at Central Bank of Lebanon – Banque du Liban
  • Lebanon - Beirut
  • March 2019 to September 2019

Collaborated on key research tasks at Banque du Liban, contributed to 2 significant macroeconomic policy reports, and refined research processes.

Graduate Research Assistant at Lebanese International University
  • Lebanon - Beirut
  • October 2017 to February 2019

Supported academic research and administrative functions, demonstrating analytical capabilities, and contributing to advancing business and economic studies.

Education

Master's degree, Master of Sustainability & Leadership
  • at Arizona State University
  • December 2022
Bachelor's degree, Business Economics
  • at Lebanese International University
  • January 2020

Specialties & Skills

Systems Thinking
Data Visualization
Quantitative Research
Economic Policy
Strategic Planning

Languages

Arabic
Native Speaker
English
Native Speaker
French
Beginner