Focus: NGO/Social Activism
Abdi Ismail
Abdi Ismail has been working in the humanitarian field for 12 years in various management capacity with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Currently, he is the Head of Mission for ICRC in Aden, Yemen, where he leads the protection and humanitarian assistance response in Southern Yemen and is in charge of managing the security of ICRC staff, assets, and operations in a very volatile security environment. Abdi’s interests are understanding current conflicts and their broader security implications for the greater Middle East and Horn of Africa. He has been invited to share his knowledge and experience of Yemen at the think tank ISPI, the Centre for Public…
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Felix Maradiaga
Felix Maradiaga is an academic, political activist, and former presidential candidate. In June 2021 he was arrested and held in solitary confinement in Nicaragua by Ortega’s regime, sentenced to 13 years imprisonment for the alleged crime of “conspiracy to undermine national integrity." In February 2023, Felix was released from captivity and flown to the U.S., along with 221 other political prisoners from Nicaragua, where he was reunited with his family. After serving as the youngest-ever Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense, Felix has dedicated himself to strengthening peace, democracy, and the rule of law in Nicaragua. A recognized international expert in civil society and leadership development, he seeks to…
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Azeem Ibrahim
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim is a Research Professor at the Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College and a Director at the Centre for Global Policy in Washington DC. Over the years, Azeem has advised numerous world leaders on strategy and policy development with his most recent role being the Strategic Policy Advisor to the Chairman of Pakistan’s PTI party, Prime Minister Imran Khan. Azeem is also the author of the seminal books, Rohingya: Inside Myanmar’s Genocide (Hurst: 2016) Radical Origins: Why we are losing the battle against Islamic extremism (Pegasus: 2017). Outside academia, Azeem has been a reservist in the IV Battalion Parachute Regiment (UK’s elite airborne infantry reserve) and…
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Paromita Goswami
Paromita Goswami seeks to empower some of India’s poorest and most marginalized citizens: the residents of the Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts of the state of Maharashtra. To protect their rights and help them access justice, she has created several non-profit organizations including Elgar Pratishthan, which concentrates on the economic and educational development of rural communities, and Shramik Elgar, a 10,000-member union of rural workers. Trained as a lawyer, Paromita has brought legal challenges on behalf of these members to India’s Supreme Court. Regarded as one of the top labor organizers in the region, she built a training center for rural community organizers. She is also involved in strengthening elected representatives…
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Gidon Bromberg
Gidon Bromberg is Co-Founder and Israeli Director of EcoPeace Middle East, a regional organization started in 1994 that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli environmentalists to promote sustainable development and advance peace efforts in the troubled Middle East. He has spearheaded the advocacy campaigns of the organization both in Israel and internationally and developed the cross-border community peace building program “Good Water Neighbors” that is seen as a model for other programs in conflict areas. Gidon speaks regularly on water, peace, and security issues, including before the UN Security Council, Climate Summit, Munich Security Conference, at the UN Commission for Sustainable Development, the US House of Representatives, the European Parliament,…
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Negusu Aklilu
Negusu Aklilu is an environmental advocate and Coordinator for Destiny Ethiopia Initiative at the Forum of Federations. As one of Ethiopia’s most influential environmental advocates, he provided strategic leadership for environmental advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns as Director of the Forum for Environment. Negusu previously served as Climate Change Advisor to the Department for Democratic Development. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Akirma: A Magazine on Environment and Development, and as Co-Editor of the Ethiopian Environment Review, which he launched in 2010. Negusu has successfully spearheaded and played key roles in national and international initiatives for conservation and sustainable use of environmental resources. He co-founded and currently co-chairs the Ethiopian Civil…
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Rahimah “Ima” Abdulrahim
Rahimah "Ima" Abdulrahim is the Director of Public Policy for Southeast Asia (Established Countries) for Facebook Asia Pacific. Prior to this, she served at The Habibie Center, one of Indonesia’s leading think tanks focusing on democracy and human rights, for 19 years, serving as their executive director for 9 years (2010-2019). She has 20 years advocating for peace and democracy in Indonesia and travels extensively to speak about good governance, democratization, and the role of civil society in Southeast Asia. In 2017, Ima co-created, with World Fellows Stephen Shashoua (2015) and Abdul-Rehman Malik (2017), CERITA (Community Empowerment for Raising Inclusivity and Trust through Technology Application), a project using the art…
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Ruchi Yadav
Ruchi Yadav leads and manages The Hunger Project's overall program portfolio in India, which includes strengthening and building the leadership of elected women representatives and empowerment of adolescent girls. She oversees strategic management, program design, policy, and operations. This includes engagement and dialogue with multiple stakeholders, including over 50 community-based organizations across India. Ruchi has close to two decades of experience in the development sector and the communication business. She has worked on women's rights and human rights issues in South Asia and South East Asia. Ruchi is vitally interested in the intersections of gender with politics, religion, caste, and class. She has also worked on women’s rights and gender…
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WANG Xingzui
WANG Xingzui has over two decades of experience in rural development and serves as Vice President of the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, one of the oldest and largest NGOs in China and one of the few working outside the country. Under his leadership, the Foundation grew from a small, largely unknown organization to one that is well recognized and respected for its pioneering work and professionalism by governments, corporations, beneficiaries, and peer NGOs both at home and abroad. Xingzui oversees the Foundation's strategies and microfinance and is working to expand the Foundation's operations to other countries and to transform the Foundation into an international NGO. Xingzui is committed to…
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Taras Shevchenko
Taras Shevchenko serves as a Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine since August 2020. In 2017 when he participated in YWF Program he was an activist and Co-Founder of the Reanimation Package of Reforms (RPR), a coalition of reform-oriented NGOs and experts, which began after the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine. Taras served as Board Co-Chairman for RPR, which brings together 73 NGOs that develop, promote, and control implementation of reforms. It has proved to be a unique coalition that has advocated more than 100 laws. Taras is also Founder and was during 15 years an Executive Director of Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law, an…
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