Alaa Murabit: An Advocate for Women’s Empowerment

“She is a force for change and a global champion of women’s rights.” This is how Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, described Alaa Murabit. She has several feathers in her cap. A medical doctor, she is a United Nations High-Level Commissioner on Health Employment and Economic Growth, and one of 17 Global Sustainable Development Goal Advocates appointed by the UN Secretary-General. Her work has shaped policies in 193 countries and impacts billions. On top of all this, she is also a fierce advocate for women’s participation in peace processes and conflict mediation.

Born on 26 October 1989 to Muslim parents in Canada, Murabit grew up with her 10 siblings in a household where girls and boys were treated equally, an example she carried into her personal and professional life. She graduated from high school in 2005. Her journey towards becoming a leader started only when she flew to Libya for medical studies at the age of 15. During the 2011 civil war, she worked at Zawiya Teaching Hospital and several temporary clinics. She earned her Ph.D. in medicine from Al Zawiya University in 2013.

It was during the Libyan civil war that Murabit experienced first-hand the crucial part women played in delivering medicine and food. She felt that women had to be involved in the country’s political and societal power structures.

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