Honorary doctorates 2026
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On Thursday 12 February 2026, UCLouvain will award three honorary doctorates on the theme of ‘Enlighten to understand, resist to move forward’ to:
- Izzeldin Abuelaish, Canadian Palestinian doctor and professor;
- Olivier Hamant, French biologist;
- Salomé Saqué, French journalist.
With this distinction, UCLouvain honours three individuals who make the invisible visible, shed light on everyday life in order to understand and enable the (re)construction of an inclusive society that respects human rights (see below).
Programme of the day
- 3.30pm Mass, Saint-François d'Assise church, Louvain-la-Neuve
- 5.30pm Proclamation ceremony, Aula Magna (theater), Louvain-la-Neuve
- 7.00pm Reception, Aula Magna (reception hall)
These events are accessible to people with reduced mobility.
Ceremony and reception upon invitation.
Meet the honourees
On 11 February, the eve of the ceremony, the university is offering two special opportunities to meet the honoured guests: a screening of the documentary about Dr Abuelaish followed by a discussion with the audience (at 6 p.m. in Louvain-la-Neuve) and a conference-debate with Salomé Saqué and Olivier Hamant (at 8 p.m. in Brussels). An afternoon of reflection on the role of carers in contexts of violence (in Brussels Woluwe) is also on offer. events are open to all. Information and registration
Contact: events@uclouvain.be
Our three honourees
> Izzeldin Abuelaish, 70, is a Palestinian Canadian obstetrician born in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. He currently teaches public health at the University of Toronto. A specialist in infertility and health policy, he is the first Palestinian doctor to have practised in an Israeli hospital. He is renowned for his pacifist activism with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, despite the death of three of his daughters and his niece when his home was bombed by the Israeli army in 2009. It was this tragedy that sparked his commitment to peace, justice and reconciliation: he chose to respond to the hatred and violence of war with tireless activism. Nominated five times for the Nobel Peace Prize, he is known as the “Martin Luther King of the Middle East” for having dedicated his life to using health as a vehicle for peace. Dr Abuelaish is introduced by Ms Hala Habi Saleh and Prof. Jean Macq.
> Olivier Hamant, 50, is a researcher in biology and biophysics and director of research at the Institut de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement at the Ecole normale supérieure de Lyon. Combining approaches from molecular and cellular biology, mechanics and modelling, he seeks to understand how plants use physical and biological forces to control their development. More broadly, he explores the complexity, resilience and fragility of biological systems. The author of several essays, Dr Hamant studies humanity’s relationship with nature: he advocates a model of society inspired by living organisms and guided by the pursuit of robustness rather than productivity. Olivier Hamant is introduced by Ms Laurence Albert and Prof. Valentin Couvreur.
> Salomé Saqué 30, is a French journalist. Informed by a commitment to social justice, her work focuses primarily on the climate emergency, youth, gender inequality and economic issues. She has headed the economics department of the media outlet Blast since its creation in 2021 and regularly contributes to public service broadcasters, including France Culture and France Inter. In 2023, she published her first book, Sois jeune et tais-toi : Réponse à ceux qui critiquent la jeunesse (“Be Young and Shut Up: A Response to Those Who Criticise the Young”), an investigation into the state of young people in France, their fears, difficulties and aspirations. In 2024, she published the essay “Résister” (“Resist”), in which she proposes ways of taking action against the far right, particularly “intellectual and collective resistance”. The book has sold over 350,000 copies. Ms Saqué is introduced by Ms Camille Fauconnier and Prof. Olivier Standaert.
In their resistance to dominant narratives, our three honourees stand against violence, extremes, and the obsession with productivity and profit.