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 of storytelling to fight discrimination, promote inclusivity and build trust. The pilot phase reached 150 young influencers in five Indonesian cities, training them to act as facilitators and storytellers in their own communities. In her free time Ima advocates for survivors of gender based violence and abuse through the non-profit Lentera Sintas Indonesia. She also helped start the Jakarta-based program Drive Books, Not Cars, getting free books into the hands of kids who need them. Ima is a 2018 Stanford - Draper Hills Fellow, a 2017 University of Hong Kong AsiaGlobal Fellow, a 2010 MIT IDEAS Indonesia Fellow, and a 2001 Asia Foundation APSA Congressional Fellow (where she worked in the Office of Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald of California). She holds a Bachelors of Human Science in Political Science and Islamic Studies from the International Islamic University Malaysia, and an M.A. in International Studies and Diplomacy from University of London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).