Gihan Abou Zeid

Gihan Abou Zeid is an Egyptian veteran of the human rights movement and an authority on women's rights in development in the Arab world. She is currently leading a nation-wide study of initiatives on violence against women as part of a larger attempt to present concrete recommendations to the Egyptian government and civil society.

Gihan has 20 years of professional experience in research, training, editing and programme direction and management in gender, human rights and democracy.

She has also participated in international research projects on various aspects of gender and development with women's associations, universities, UN agencies and civil society organisations. She has written two books and contributed to scholarly publications.

Gihan is a technical adviser on women's political participation, special measures for enhancing women's political participation, youth polices in the Arab world and gender mainstreaming.

She has always worked with a strong commitment to feminism and women's rights and has been actively engaged in women's networks, including four years as chair of the NGO's Forum For Women in Development. She is also an honorary member of a variety of youth and human rights initiatives in the Arab region.