Born in 1932 in Kairouan, Tunisia, Abdelwahab Bouhdiba is President of the Beit al-Hikma Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Literature and Arts. An esteemed sociologist and human rights campaigner, Bouhdiba was a member of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities at the United Nations for ten years. He was awarded the UNESCO International Prize for Arab Culture in 2004.