FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 11, 2023
The Board of Directors of the Women’s Learning Partnership (WLP), a global organization dedicated to transforming power relations and promoting justice, equality, peace, and sustainable development, has named Dr. Azza Karam as the organization’s new President and Chief Executive Officer.
After 23 years at the helm, Mahnaz Afkhami, the Founder-President and now WLP Senior Advisor and President-Emerita, decided to step down and stated that “Azza will lend her substantial experience to this exceptional organization.” Since its founding, the Women’s Learning Partnership has supported thousands of women leaders who advance democracy, human rights, and justice - including for our shared planet - in their nations, regions, and the world. As a scholar and peace activist, Azza defines herself as a “long term beneficiary of the remarkable wisdom, leadership approaches, and learning resources, produced by the Women’s Learning Partnership.”
Prior to joining WLP, Dr. Karam served Religions for Peace as the organization’s first woman, North African, and Muslim Secretary General. In that role, Dr. Karam was elected by religious leaders from around the world to lead interreligious peacebuilding in over 90 countries. Upon taking office at the outset of the global Covid pandemic lockdown, Dr. Karam established the first Multi-Religious Humanitarian Fund, now serving in 30 countries. Her international work over three decades also includes serving at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IIDEA), Queens University of Belfast (Northern Ireland), Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam (The Netherlands), and two decades at the United Nations (UNDP and UNFPA), where she created an Interagency Task Force on Religion and Development and a Multi-Faith Advisory Council thereto.
Dr. Karam holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from John Cabot University in Rome. Her scholarly work focuses on the intersection of religion, politics, and human rights. She has published extensively in several languages on gender equality, international relations, religious engagement in development, and humanitarian work. Dr. Karam is a member of the United Nations’ Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism and continues to serve academically. Dr. Karam was born in Egypt, has lived and worked in several countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe, and resides in the United States.
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Please direct any queries to:
Tori Pell, Senior Program Associate for Communications and Advocacy
Phone: +1 301-652-2774
Email: tpell[at]learningpartnership.org