Dr Lina AbiRafeh is a leading activist for the abolishment of gender-based violence. Throughout her career, Dr Lina has worked passionately to see that women achieve the same rights as men and has over 20 years’ experience in gender-based violence. Now a popular choice as a keynote for corporate events and a seasoned TEDx speaker, Dr Lina covers topics such as women in conflict, ending violence against women, gender equality and more.
Best known for her efforts as a gender equality and female rights activist, Dr Lina is currently the Executive Director of the Arab Institute for Women at the Lebanese American University. The very first institute for women in the Arab region, Dr Lina is pioneering the combination of activism and academia, ensuring that there are advances in social and policy change for women and girls in Arab regions. Dr Lina is also well known for her role as a Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies Specialist for the United Nations and an International Advisory Board Member for the Forced Migration Review.
Before forging a reputation as a women’s rights activist, Dr Lina began her studies at the Johns Hopkins University, where she graduated from with a MA in Development Economics and International Development. She then went on study at the London School of Economics and Political Science, graduating with a PhD in Development Studies. In the final years of her studies, Dr Lina began work as a Senior GBV Advisor for AusAID before she joined the United Nations. Since first joining the United Nations in 2009, Dr Lina has dedicated almost 12 years of her career to combatting gender-based violence.
In addition to fronting the Arab Institute for Women, Dr Lina is also a published author having written Gender and International Aid in Afghanistan: The Politics and Effects of Intervention. She is also highly active on Twitter and publishes regular blogs, centred around the topics of humanitarian crisis in places such as Palestine and Yemen. Dr Lina has also dedicated time to being a board member of the Society of Gender Professionals, Greenpeace MENA and SheDecides.
Named in the Gender Equality Top 100: The Most Influential People in Global Policy, Dr Lina is now a popular choice as a speaker for corporate events. Recently, Dr Lina has been heavily interested in the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic is having on Arab women and girls, ensuring that there is a feminist response to the devastation. A seasoned speaker, Dr Lina was previously invited to deliver Women’s Safety in a Violent World at a TEDx event and has also spoken for the UN Department of Peace Operations. An insightful speaker, Dr Lina AbiRafeh is sought to speak on gender-based violence, female equality, women’s rights, sexual and reproductive justice, a hit with all audiences.
