Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, MBE
Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, MBE is the Founder and CEO of the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN), a Richard von Weizsacker Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy, and adjunct professor at the Columbia University School for International Public Affairs (SIPA).
For nearly 3 decades she has been a pioneer in research, advocacy and practice, highlighting the critical role of women in peace negotiations and is renowned for her deep commitment to ensuring that women’s perspectives and participation are recognized and valued in global peace and security discussions.
Her work embodies a fusion of grassroots activism with international policy, setting a standard in the field of peace and security. Her experience includes being a civil society leader and drafter of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security in 2000; leading a UN assessment team into Maoist cantonments in 2009, and being appointed as the first Gender and Inclusion Expert to the UN’s Standby Team of Senior Mediation Advisors.
At ICAN she has established cutting edge programmes, including: the Innovative Peace Fund (IPF), the only independent multi-donor fund dedicated to local women-led peacebuilding organizations; the Better Peace Initiative, offering resources and strategic accompaniment to enable inclusive and gender responsive peacemaking, and the global Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL), comprising 90+ independent women-led peacebuilding organizations and networks in 40 countries.
She has numerous publications including her book ‘Women Building Peace; What they do, Why it Matters’. Her media appearances include the BBC, Al Jazeera and Amanpour on PBS. Iranian by background she is a UK and US citizen and has twin 23-year old daughters. In 2020 in the UK, she was awarded an MBE for her contributions to women’s rights and international peacebuilding.
