Hanan Ashrawi is the spokeswoman for the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, a member of the Palestine Liberation Council, and former Minister of Education in the Palestinian Authority. At the time of her selection she was, in addition to being a scholar, the secretary general of the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy. Ashrawi was one of five women elected to the 88-member Palestinian governing organization in 1996 and served for two years in the cabinet of President Yasser Arafat. The daughter of one of the founders of the PLO, she has been active in political causes since her teens and was secretary general of the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy.