Introduction: Doctoral Researcher Bechara Samneh

04.11.2026 -

Bechara Samneh is a doctoral researcher at the Institute of Development Research and Development Policy (IEE), at Ruhr University Bochum and a member of the Network Humanitarian Research (NHF), funded by the Gerda Henkel Stiftung. 

In the project Fraught Vulnerabilities – Practices of Inclusion and Exclusion of LGBTQI+ People in Humanitarian Crises, he examines how humanitarian aid systems in Lebanon and Syria include or exclude LGBTIQ+ persons through everyday practices of aid delivery. His research explores critically how vulnerability is not only experienced but also produced through institutional decisions, including targeting mechanisms, funding priorities, partnership models, and risk management strategies. Drawing on intersectionality, queer humanitarian scholarship, and critical humanitarian studies, it analyses how sexuality and gender become governed within humanitarian responses, and how certain identities and needs are rendered (in)visible or conditional. By combining document analysis, surveys, and interviews, the study connects institutional frameworks to lived experiences of access, exclusion, and resilience, aiming to contribute to more inclusive and accountable approaches to protection in protracted crisis settings. 

Bechara previously served as the Director of MOSAIC where he led the design and implementation of innovative programs focused on protection, service delivery, and community empowerment. He is also West Asia Board Representative at ILGA Asia.