Hibaaq Osman
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Hibaaq Osman ( so, Hibaaq Cismaan, ar, هيباق عثمان) is a Somali global political strategist. She founded and serves as the Chairperson of the ThinkTank for Arab Women, the Dignity Fund, El-Karama, and the Centre for the Strategic Initiatives of Women.


Personal life

Osman was born in
Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
. She studied locally, as well as in
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
, Sudan, and the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. She has also lived and worked in
Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
.


Career


Fund for Peace

Osman has extensive experience working with civil society. Since 1992, she has served as the Director of Communications for the
Fund for Peace The Fund for Peace is an American non-profit, non-governmental research and educational institution. Founded in 1957, FFP "works to prevent violent conflict and promote sustainable security." The Fund for Peace works towards sustainable security ...
. She was also the Chairperson of the Center for the Advancement of Somali Women and Children based in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, which was established as a corporation later the same year.


El-Karama

Osman currently serves as a Special Representative to Africa for V-Day, a global movement to halt violence against women and girls. She has since 2002 directed the body's activities in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. To this end, Osman has led delegations to establish multi-sectoral collaborations with local women activists in Egypt, Sudan,
Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...
,
Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
, Palestine,
Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
,
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
,
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
and
Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
. In 2005, she founded the El-Karama program within V-Day, serving as its CEO. The non-governmental organization works to protect women's rights in the
Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...
. Headquartered in Cairo, it has a robust network spanning fourteen countries in the
MENA MENA, an acronym in the English language, refers to a grouping of countries situated in and around the Middle East and North Africa. It is also known as WANA, SWANA, or NAWA, which alternatively refers to the Middle East as Western Asia (or a ...
region, including Somalia. El-Karama collaborates with average citizens, community leaders, politicians, legislators, activists and young academics among others to support general women's development, protection and security, as well as to abolish or reform any discriminatory regulations and practices. Since its establishment, the organization has had an impact in various fields, including capacity-building, knowledge exchange and advocacy. El-Karama has also had an effect on national, regional and international policymaking. A number of its official recommendations have been relayed by the UN and other international agencies, as well as adopted into extant and new constitutions. Through the program, Osman launched the Libyan Women's Platform for Peace in 2011 and the Syrian Women's Forum for Peace the following year. She also participated in the Norwegian
Forum for Women and Development The Forum for Women and Development ( no, Forum for Kvinner og Utviklingsspørsmål), often known as FOKUS Kvinner, is a Norwegian non-governmental organization aimed at spreading information on women-centered development cooperation and to be a c ...
(FOKUS Kvinner)'s No Women, No Peace! campaign in 2013. El-Karama is likewise partnered with the Inter Press Service (IPS)'s MDG3 Fund, which was set up by the Dutch Ministry for Development Cooperation.


Centre for the Strategic Initiatives of Women

Additionally, Osman is the founder and Director of the Centre for the Strategic Initiatives of Women (CSIW). Through the non-governmental organization, she has advocated for democracy, human rights and women's participation in conflict resolution. She concurrently founded the SIHA network ("outcry" in Arabic), which unites various women's groups in the Horn of Africa in order to leverage their impact on public influence and community leadership.


Coalition for Peace in the Horn of Africa

Osman was also one of the founders of the Coalition for Peace in the Horn of Africa. Among other initiatives, the think tank urged the U.S. authorities to adopt a positive foreign policy toward Africa. It also lobbied the American government to withdraw financial support for oppressive regimes.


ThinkTank for Arab Women and Dignity Fund

In addition, Osman established and serves as the Chairperson of the ThinkTank for Arab Women (TTfAW). The Cairo-based NGO consists of domestic, national and international experts in women's rights. Osman likewise founded and heads the Dignity Fund regional non-governmental organization.


Memberships and fellowships

Besides her CEO and ambassador duties, Osman serves on the board of a number of organizations, including Ashoka Arab World, Africa Action, Equality Now, the Advisory Council for the Global Fund for Women, Donor Direct Action, and the Advisory Council for Omega Women's Leadership Center. She is a member of the Expert Committee for Peace and Security at the
League of Arab States League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...
, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and the UN Women's Global Civil Society Advisory Group. Osman is also a senior fellow at the Academy for Political Leadership and Participation at the
University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
.


Awards

In 2009, Osman was named among
The 500 Most Influential Muslims ''The 500 Most Influential Muslims'' (also known as ''The Muslim 500'') is an annual publication first published in 2009, which ranks the most influential Muslims in the world. The publication is compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies C ...
by the Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim–Christian Understanding at
Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
.


References


External links


El-Karama - Official websiteThe Muslim 500 - Hibaaq Osman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osman, Hibaaq Living people Ethnic Somali people Somalian activists Somalian women activists Year of birth missing (living people)