Hibaaq Osman

Hibaaq Osman (, ) is a Somali global political strategist. She founded and serves as the Chairperson of the ThinkTank for Arab Women, the Dignity Fund, El-Karama, and the Centre for the Strategic Initiatives of Women.

Personal life Osman was born in Somalia. She studied locally, as well as in Ethiopia, Sudan, and the United States. She has also lived and worked in Yemen. She was also the Chairperson of the Center for the Advancement of Somali Women and Children based in Washington, D.C., which was established as a corporation later the same year.

El-Karama Osman currently serves as a Special Representative to Africa for V-Day, a global movement to halt violence against women and girls. The non-governmental organization works to protect women's rights in the Arab world. Headquartered in Cairo, it has a robust network spanning fourteen countries in the MENA region, including Somalia. El-Karama is likewise partnered with the Inter Press Service (IPS)'s MDG3 Fund, which was set up by the Dutch Ministry for Development Cooperation.

Centre for the Strategic Initiatives of Women Additionally, Osman is the founder and Director of the Centre for the Strategic Initiatives of Women (CSIW). Through the non-governmental organization, she has advocated for democracy, human rights and women's participation in conflict resolution. She concurrently founded the SIHA network ("outcry" in Arabic), which unites various women's groups in the Horn of Africa in order to leverage their impact on public influence and community leadership. Donor Direct Action, and the Advisory Council for Omega Women's Leadership Center.

She is a member of the Expert Committee for Peace and Security at the League of Arab States, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and the UN Women's Global Civil Society Advisory Group. Osman is also a senior fellow at the Academy for Political Leadership and Participation at the University of Maryland.

Awards In 2009, Osman was named among The 500 Most Influential Muslims by the Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim–Christian Understanding at Georgetown University.