Saba A. Al-Nadawi assumed her role as Human Rights Officer on March 2014 with United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Baghdad Office and relocated to Erbil during the Iraqi Crisis with Islamic State militants in Nineveh province. She had an official role with OHCHR Syria country office in 2018, where the main work was investigating and conciliating complaints received from the public concerning allegations of violations of the Human Rights Act. In missions in both Iraq and Syria part of these duties contributed to the publishing of seven reports on the Protection of Civilians in the Non-international Armed Conflict in Iraq,  and five reports to the SG on the situation in Syria. These reports addressed all issues with respect to the human rights and identifies related problems in political, ethnic, racial, gender equality and socio-social issues.

She works closely with the Special Investigation Team from Geneva providing a vital link to the victims of ISIL violations, and preparing special meetings with Minority leaders and survivor. She was involved in meetings for the official visit by Special Rapporteur on minority issues Visit to Iraq, 28 February to 6 March 2016, also with UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore during her visit to Iraq in April 2016, and the visit of Assistant Secretary General Ivan Šimonović, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights October 2014 and the visit of Adama Dieng of Senegal as his Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide 2015.

In 2017 and 2018, she presented on the situation of minorities and women survivors in the Minority Forum and during the Human Rights Council sessions to talk about recommendations for the post-conflict period.

She has worked with art city to present and highlight issues related to violations and abuses against the community post conflict in 2019 through a film festival on human Rights issues, and working on capacity building to the officials and civil society organizations to submit their shadow reports for the UPR 2019. Before joining the United Nations, in the course of her 10 year career she has successfully implemented many projects requiring a high level of coordination and networking. Her extensive communication with foreign and domestic partners has always displayed a strong focus on the field of Advocacy and defending of human rights.

An Iraqi national, Ms. Nadawi worked as an economic security officer at the International Committee of the Red Cross. She has experience and has published extensively in the fields of international relations, law, human rights, and development of national institutions. In an expert capacity, she has been a member La’Onf, the Iraqi Nonviolence Network and received John Humphrey Freedom Award from Canada 2009.

She has a graduate degree in agriculture engineering, an equivalent to master’s degree in law and comparative law from the Iraqi Institute for strategic Studies, and has also completed online studies on minority rights and armed conflict, human rights and humanitarian law. She is widowed; her husband having been killed by Al-Qaida 2008 and since that time she has worked hard to build peace and train women about the importance of overcoming the pain through peace-building.

Participant in: March 2017 Fellowship: Peacebuilding and Women’s Meaningful Participation in Peacebuilding Processes