About the Speaker
Alaa
Murabit
Libyan activist and founder of The Voice of Libyan Women
Alaa Murabit, a medical doctor and the founder of VLW and The Omnis Institute, is one of 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Global Advocates, a United Nations High-Level Commissioner for Health, Employment, and Economic Growth, a TED speaker, and a MIT Media Lab Director’s Fellow. Murabit was named a 2017 Forbes Under 30 for her work in global health policy and a Harvard University Law 2017 “Women Inspiring Change.” Nicknamed “Libyan Doogie Howser” by Jon Stewart, she founded The Voice of Libyan Women, a non-governmental organization dedicated to women’s inclusion in peace processes and conflict resolution, at the age of 21. She went on to found The Omnis Institute and currently serves as a trustee for The Malala Fund, International Alert, Keeping Children Safe, and is an advisor to ConnectHer. Named The New York Times “International Trust Women Hero 2014.” Murabit is the director of global programs, advocacy, and communications at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.