Samira Elmasoudi is a distinguished freelance consultant and human rights activist with over 15 years of experience specializing in gender, civil society, and international development. A prominent leader in the Libyan landscape, she served as the President of the Libyan Women’s Union in Tripoli (2012–2014) and currently heads a development organization dedicated to supporting youth and women. Her extensive professional background includes managing donor-funded initiatives, particularly those under the European Union, focusing on migration, peacebuilding, governance, and the restoration of the Rule of Law. In Libya, she has been instrumental in numerous human rights projects addressing transitional justice, disarmament, and the prevention of violence against vulnerable groups, notably submitting the annual Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on women’s rights to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Samira’s academic foundation is a B.A. in Mathematics from the Higher Institute of Applied Sciences in Tripoli (1985). She is an internationally certified trainer in women’s economic empowerment and leadership, with credentials from CEDPA (USA and Indonesia) and BBC Media Action. As a recognized subject matter expert, she has addressed high-level international forums, including NATO in Naples and the EU Community of Practice on Peace Mediation in Brussels. Her research contributions include consultancy work for the “Supporting Arab Women at the Table” (SAWT) project and studies on community policing with the Danish Demining Group and DCAF.

A respected voice in global media, Samira has been featured on France 24 and Monte Carlo Doualiya (MCD) and was honoured as one of 12 influential Mediterranean women in the Swiss-published book Féminismes Dans les pays Arabes. Her work remains centred on advancing women’s participation in peacebuilding and advocating for gender equality across the Mediterranean region.

Participant in: November/December 2022 Fellowship: Peacebuilding and Women’s Meaningful Participation in Peacebuilding Processes