Sarah El Haïry (born 16 March 1989) is a French politician of the Democratic Movement (MoDem). She most recently served as Minister Delegate for Youth, Childhood, and Family in the Attal government in 2024. Previously, she was Secretary of State for Biodiversity from 2023 to 2024 in the Borne government.Ambre Xerri (20 July 2023), Remaniement : la députée Renaissance Prisca Thévenot remplace Sarah El Haïry à la Jeunesse Le Figaro.
El Haïry has also held the position of Secretary of State for Youth and the National Universal Service in two separate terms: first in the Castex government from 2020 to 2022, and then in the Borne government from 2022 to 2023.Peter O’Brien (4 July 2022), Macron braces for tough second term with Cabinet reshuffle Politico Europe.Ambre Xerri (20 July 2023), Remaniement : la députée Renaissance Prisca Thévenot remplace Sarah El Haïry à la Jeunesse Le Figaro. A former member of the National Assembly, she represented Loire-Atlantique's 5th constituency from 2017 to 2020 and briefly again in 2022.
Early life and education Born to Franco-Moroccan parents,Guillaume Descours (20 June 2017), La diversité progresse à l'Assemblée nationale Le Figaro. El Haïry attended school in Metz and graduated from Lycée Lyautey high school in Casablanca in Morocco.Anne Patinec (June 20, 2017), Loire Atlantique : la députée Sarah El Haïry découvre le Palais Bourbon France Bleu.
El Haïry studied law in Nantes and stayed in Canada before becoming a trader in a cooperative.
Political career Initially active within the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), El Haïry left the party and joined Democratic Movement (MoDem) in 2010.L’Elysée nomme onze secrétaires d’Etat pour compléter le gouvernement Le Monde, July 26, 2020.
In parliament, El Haïry served as member of the Finance Committee from 2017 until 2020 and on the Committee on Legal Affairs from 2018 until 2019. In this capacity, she was the parliament's rapporteur on a 2018 bill aimed at improving the financial situation of associations and authored a 2019 report on philanthropy in France.L’Elysée nomme onze secrétaires d’Etat pour compléter le gouvernement Le Monde, July 26, 2020. In addition to her committee assignments, she was part of the French-Cypriot Parliamentary Friendship Group.Sarah El Haïry French National Assembly.
Since February 2018, El Haïry has been serving as MoDem's spokesperson, alongside Jean-Noël Barrot.Antoine Denéchère (February 28, 2018), La députée de Loire-Atlantique Sarah El Haïry prend du galon et devient porte-parole du Modem France Bleu.
In July 2020, El Haïry was appointed Secretary of State for the Youth to the Minister of National Education, Youth and Sports Jean-Michel Blanquer.Qui sont les 11 secrétaires d'Etat du gouvernement Castex ? France Info, July 26, 2020.
Political positions El Haïry opposed the Aéroport du Grand Ouest project.Rémi Barroux (January 6, 2018), Notre-Dame-des-Landes : le premier ministre veut déminer le dossier auprès des élus locaux Le Monde.
Personal life In April 2023, El Haïry outed herself in an interview as a lesbian woman, making her the first cabinet member in French history to do so.Queer.de: Sarah El Haïry outet sich als erste Frau im französischen Kabinett (in German), April 2023
References