Libya

Mahmoud Bader is a lawyer and legal reform activist in Libya. Mahmoud is currently completing his Master’s degree in International Law from Cairo University. He finished his Bachelor of Law from Tripoli University in Libya, focusing on International Law. Mahmoud’s main emphasis is on rule of law, human rights, and access to justice issues. He is working in Libya with local and international organizations to build a more tolerant society, incorporating the ideas and political participation of the country’s youth while building concrete foundations of rule of law in Libya. Prior to Atlas Corps, Mahmoud was working as the American Bar Association Rule of Law Project Manager. Mahmoud is the co-founder of the Libyan civil society organization established in 2011, H2O, which supports the transition to democracy and empowers youth participation. The organization was named “H2O” as an indication of their commitment to the values of transparency. While at H2O, Mahmoud managed a large project called Eye on the General National Congress, in which he monitored parliamentary performance and then provided the public with practical information about their elected body. He did this in order to help Libyan citizens regain trust in civil society and to close the gap between voters and GNC representatives. Throughout his career, he gained vast experience in legal consultancies, researches, and project management. He is very passionate about the field of youth development, civic education and participation, and human rights.

Host Organization : Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)

Role at Host Organization: Mahmoud will aid POMED in expanding and refining its Libya-focused programming. Mahmoud’s activities at POMED will be housed within two different programs: advocacy and research where he will be working on many different projects.

Rayan has over seven years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and earned a Bachelor’s of Engineering in Architecture and Urban Planning in 2014 from the University of Tripoli in Libya. While working as a Program Officer at the American Bar Association in Tripoli under the USAID-funded National Dialogue and Constitution program by developing and implementing the rule of law across Libya. She was able to manage and implement more than 100 activities to promote the Libyan constitution, raise the public awareness and have conflict resolution and community dialogue Sessions in over 25 different cities across Libya. The role was to also train and raise awareness for over 1400 stakeholders and developed 19 recommendation letters that have been sent to the Constitution Drafting Assembly and many of the demands were considered in the final July 2017 Constitution. During her undergraduate study, Rayan was one of only 4 students who represented the Architect and Urban Planning department in an international workshop to design a proposal for a housing compound to host the illegal immigrants in the island of Lampedusa-Italy. Rayan is an active member in H2O team, a Libyan nonprofit organization that aims to bridge the gaps between youth and authority figures. Through these experiences, she has developed leadership in community engagement, conflict analysis, and project management. She is particularly interested in economic development, social entrepreneurship, and youth empowerment.

Host Organization: Impact Experience

Role at Host Organization: Rayan will play a pivotal role in the strategy, execution, and growth of Impact Experience. She will help deepen the scale of Impact Experience’s work while engaging first hand with community leaders, helping to serve needy communities around the world.