Our people

Gulalai Ismail is a humanist and women’s rights activist from Pakistan. She is one of the most known and inspirational figures within the global humanist movement since the very beginning of her activism, which started when she was only 16 years old.

In 2002 she founded Aware Girls, a non-governmental organization in Peshawar, Pakistan. The organization was founded to address violence and discrimination against women and young girls in Pakistan, and advocate for women’s rights, education, and access to sexual and reproductive health resources.

A Pashtun human rights activist, Gulalai is also the chairperson of the Youth Peace Network. She speaks on the subject of promoting peace and women’s empowerment at conferences internationally and is the recipient of the International Humanist of the Year Award from Humanists International, and of the Fondation Chirac Peace Prize for the Prevention of Conflict.

Gulalai Ismail’s political and social engagement cost her a lot. In September 2019, Gulalai Ismail was forced to escape from Pakistan and to reach the United States, after fearing for her life for speaking out against sexual assaults and disappearances allegedly carried out by the Pakistani military.

For more than 13 years, Uttam Niraula has worked to promote humanism, human rights, good governance, civic space and culture within Nepal and on the global stage. From May 2016 until June 2022 Niraula served as a Board Member of Humanists International. In this capacity, he was instrumental to the growth of the organization at a critical phase.

Domestically, Niraula founded Society for Humanism (SOCH) Nepal in 2007. Niraula has been influential in promoting secularism in Nepal and the institutionalization of humanist values through participation in constitutional commissions and his work with parliamentarians. Niraula has been a staunch campaigner against Witchcraft persecution as well as the persistence of harmful traditional practices in Nepal, engaging with a range of mechanisms including the UN’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

Additionally, Niraula has worked for the United Nations’ Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and civil society organizations to deliver impactful programmes on the ground. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Conflict, Peace and Development.

Gary joined Humanists International in February 2017. Before this he worked for the Humanist Society Scotland since 2013 as Head of Communications and Public Affairs. He has also previously served as a Board member of the European Humanist Federation based in Brussels, as well as a board member of the Scottish Joint Committee on Religious and Moral Education.

Before working in Humanist campaigning, Gary worked for a global citizenship project at the Mercy Corps European headquarters in Edinburgh, and also in policy and service delivery in education and social work.

He has a BSc (hons) in psychology, a diploma in childhood and youth studies and master’s in human rights law, in which he researched the approach of the European Court of Human Rights and the United Nations’ approach to so-called ‘blasphemy laws’.

Elizabeth started as Director of Advocacy in January 2016, after two years heading Humanists International’s delegation to the UN in Geneva. Elizabeth manages Humanists International’s advocacy work at the UN (in Geneva, New York and Paris) and in Europe. She also designs and gives human rights and advocacy training sessions for politicians, diplomats, officials and other stakeholders. Content wise, her focus is human rights, equality, individual choice, and non-discrimination (primarily through the promotion of sexual rights, artistic and cultural rights, and the right to freedom of belief, expression, and dissent).

Elizabeth is a member of the Observatory on the Universality of Rights’ advocacy group,  a member of the Global Steering Committee of the UN Fez Process, an International Patron for the Pink Triangle Trust, an International Advisor at the Raif Badawi Foundation, and President of the UN NGO Committee on FoRB (in Geneva). Previously she served as a member of the OSCE Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

She has a PhD in International Political Theory from the London School of Economics, where she was a Michael Leifer Scholar. She has spent time as a Global Justice fellow at Yale University, served in various policy and advocacy positions in the UK and EU, and has worked as a consultant on sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Elizabeth is based in Brussels.

Emma joined Humanists International as its first Casework & Campaigns Manager in April 2020. She is responsible for managing and coordinating Humanists International’s activities on behalf of humanists at risk, working in coordination with the rest of the team, and our members and partners. She also serves as principle editor of the Freedom of Thought Report.

Before joining Humanists International, Emma gained more than seven years’ experience in casework and campaigning at PEN International, where she advocated for freedom of expression and devised strategies to support writers at risk across Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Middle East.

She holds an MA in Psychology and Spanish, an MSc in Comparative Politics (Latin America), and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Human Rights.

Javan joined Humanists International as Young Humanists International Coordinator and Social Media Consultant in February 2021. He works with young humanists worldwide, focusing on their development and growth as humanists. He also manages the social media platforms of Humanists International and assists in creating materials to promote humanism. In 2022, he was made the Membership Development Officer, tasked with looking after the Members and Associates of the organization.

Before joining Humanists International, Javan has been active in community work zeroing in on environmental conservation, climate justice, human rights, and civic engagement advocacies since 2012. He is currently the Chief Executive of Humanists Alliance Philippines International, a government-registered and progressive humanist organization in the Philippines that stands for human rights, secular education and strives for a world free from violence and division.

Javan is the co-founder and former pioneer president of the Association of Young Environmental Journalists, a youth-led environmental media organization. He is also the former Director for Design and Creatives of ATO-ClimatEducate Project, scholar alumni of Temasek Foundation International – Specialists Community Action and Leadership Exchange program in Singapore, and represented the Philippines during the ASEAN Plus Three Youth Environment Forum 2019 in Thailand.

Javan is based in the Philippines.

Jean is a Finance and Operations Manager at Humanists International having joined the organisation in July 2019. She oversees the day to day financial and accounting processes at Humanists International, provides support to other staff, and ensures general smooth running of the office.

Before joining Humanists International, Jean gained several years of finance experience working in a variety of industries.

Jean holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Beijing Technology and Business University, as well as a Master’s degree in Economics and Finance from University of Kent.

Kacem El Ghazzali is a MENA Advocacy and Casework Consultant at Humanists International. He has been representing Humanists International at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva since 2013.

His work focuses on researching, providing information and evaluating strategies relating to cases originating in the MENA region together with the Humanist at Risk coordinator and the rest of the team.

Kacem is also an essayist and a passionate advocate of secularism and humanism. His essays have been published, among others, in Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Neue Zürcher Zeitung and The Huffington Post, and he is the co-editor of the secular Arabic/French magazine La Vague Culturelle. In 2018, he was among 30 other personalities named as Swiss of the Year by the Swiss Sunday newspaper SonntagsZeitung.

Lone joint Humanists International in May 2022 as our Humanist Professionals Network Manager. She is working on capacity building and expanding the direct networking between humanist organizations that provide services such as ceremonies and chaplaincy or existential care.

Lone has been a member of the board of the European Humanist Federation and a President of the Danish Humanist Society.

She has a masters degree in folkloristics from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and is currently studying to get her Ph.d. in cultural studies at the University of Bergen, Norway.

Before joining Humanists International, she gained a wide experience in project management, analysis, and evaluation in education and the social sector.

Rachel Abrego joined Humanists International as Program Manager in November 2022. She is responsible for managing Humanists International ‘IDEAS’ program, “Increasing Diversity, Equality, and Security in South Asia,” empowering humanist groups and individuals in the region.

Before joining Humanists International, Rachel gained seven years of experience supporting development programs across Latin America with the National Center for State Courts and the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative.

She holds a Master in Jurisprudence in Rule of Law for Development from Loyola University Chicago and is fluent in Spanish.

Tania joined Humanists International in December 2022, as its European Advocacy Officer. She advocates for Humanists International’s human rights priorities at the European institutions and is responsible for coordinating and networking European member organisations.

She holds a Master’s degree in European Law and has previously worked in the field of policy analysis at the European Parliament and at the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). She speaks Portuguese, Italian, French, and English.

Tania is based in Brussels.

Victoria joined Humanists International in April 2022. Her role looks after our fundraising and development initiatives, with the aim of increasing income and improving our supporter experience.

Victoria is an experienced fundraising and marketing professional, with almost 15 years experience working for a range of organizations in the UK. She began working in the third sector shortly after completing an Arts degree, and has been putting her creative skills to “good” use ever since. She has supporting qualifications in Direct and Digital Marketing, and the GDPR from the Institute of Data & Marketing. Amongst other things, Victoria is passionate about human rights, animal welfare, the arts, nature and the environment.

Victoria works remotely from North Yorkshire, UK. If you would like to get in touch with Victoria to discuss making a donation, leaving a gift in your Will or any other fundraising ideas you might have, you can reach her at: [email protected]