Semhar Araia

Semhar Araia is an Eritrean American social activist, professor and international lawyer. She is the founder and executive director of the Diaspora African Women's Network (DAWN) non-governmental organization. Semhar was recently appointed as UNICEF USA Managing Director of Diaspora and Multicultural Partnership.

Personal life Araia was born between 1978 and 1979 in New York City to immigrants from Eritrea. Her parents had emigrated to the United States in the late 1960s for education and work. She was named after the coastal Eritrean province of Semhar.

For her post-secondary studies, Araia earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota. and has over a decade of work experience in public policy, U.S.-Africa foreign policy, international humanitarian law and conflict resolution. She was also an Africa analyst for The Elders. In this capacity, she founded and serves as the executive director of the Diaspora African Women's Network (DAWN), a non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C. whose mission is to develop and support talented female immigrants from Africa. It presently has 180 members representing various places around the world.

Awards In April 2012, Araia was honored by the White House as its 2012 Champion of Change for her work with DAWN. The organization was additionally presented the Diaspora African Forum Bridge Builder Award by the African Union.

In 2013, Araia was also selected as the AU's Diaspora Awardee of the Year.