Lyse Marie Doucet CM OBE (/liːz duˈsɛt/; born 24 December 1958) is a Canadian journalist who is the BBC's Chief International Correspondent and senior presenter.
[2][10][11] The same year, she undertook a four-month volunteer assignment teaching English with Canadian Crossroads International in the Ivory Coast.
[13][5] Doucet reported from Pakistan in 1988, and was based in Kabul from late 1988 to the end of 1989 to cover the Soviet troop withdrawal and its aftermath.
Doucet played a leading role in the BBC's coverage of the Arab Spring, reporting from Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
[citation needed] Beginning on New Year's Day 2018, Doucet presented Her Story Made History, a five-part series on BBC Radio 4 featuring in-depth interviews with five remarkable women.
Doucet reported extensively from Kabul Airport during August 2021, following the coalition withdrawal from Afghanistan after the Taliban offensive in the country.
[18] Doucet was criticised in December 2024 for suggesting that Jewish people living in Syria would want to return to Damascus following the end of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
[19][20] Reporting from the Syrian capital, Doucet said: “This is one of the most diverse countries in the Middle East…you can see it here in the Old City, all the different quarters, Jewish, Muslim, Christian - they’re all here and they want to believe they have a space now as Syria embarks on this new chapter.”[19][20] In response, Daniel Sugarman, Director of Public Affairs at the Board of Deputies of British Jews stated “You may find a ‘Jewish Quarter’ in Damascus.
She is also involved with Friends of Aschiana UK, which supports working street children in Afghanistan, and is an honorary patron of Canadian Crossroads International.
[22] In 2002, she was the only journalist to accompany Afghan President Hamid Karzai to his brother's wedding, where an assassination attempt was made.
[citation needed] Doucet won a Peabody and a David Bloom award in 2010 for her film on maternal mortality in Afghanistan, along with producer Melanie Marshall, Shoaib Sharifi and cameraman Tony Jolliffe.
[citation needed] In 2015, Doucet won the Sandford St Martin trustees’ award[26] "for her commitment to journalism and her intelligent and clear reporting of the religious elements of global events".
[44] In March 2023, Doucet was awarded the Mungo Park Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society at a ceremony in Perth, Scotland.
[citation needed] In January 2024, she was awarded an honorary degree from Keele University, for "her distinguished and extensive achievements in journalism.