Diakhoumba Gassama
Programme Officer, Gender, Transparency, Participation and Accountability in Africa and Mexico –HEWLETT FOUNDATION
Diakhoumba is an anti-FGM feminist human rights defender, a survivor of this violation herself. She has actively engaged in spaces like the Council of Senegalese Women, the African Feminist Forum, AWID, FEMNET and the Research and Support Center for Development Alternatives in the Indian Ocean. Current Regional Activism and Youth Coordinator for Africa at Amnesty International. She is the outgoing Vicepresident of the Reseau National des Jeunes Femmes Leaders du Senegal
More than 15 years of experience working for intergovernmental organizations in Africa, Europe, New York and Asia and the Pacific including the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the African Union Commission, UNIFEM/UNWomen and UNDP.
Participated in inter-governmental processes around sexual and reproductive heath and rights (SRHR), human rights, gender equality, inclusive democratic governance and sustainable development.
PROFESSIONAL TRAJECTORY
As of March 2021, she left Amnesty International to work for the Hewlett Foundation. Gassama is now Program Officer, Gender, Transparency, Participation and Accountability in Africa and Mexico
Previously worked for UNDP, first in New York as the Special Assistant to the Gender Team Director. Then, in Bangkok as Regional Gender and Women’s Empowerment Specialist at the Asia-Pacific Regional Service Center. Here, she engaged extensively with delegations and missions. Furthermore, she was involved in policy development, country advisory services and efforts to mainstream human rights and gender equality issues.
Prior to her work at UNDP, Diakhoumba managed the Secretariat of the African-Spanish Women’s Network for a Better World on behalf of UNIFEM/UN Women. Here, she contributed to the building/strengthening of African and Spanish thematic, national, sub-regional and regional women’s human rights networks from 2008 to 2010.
From 2006 to 2008, Diakhoumba held several positions at the African Union (AU) Commission in Addis Ababa, including Ag. Head of the Women’s Rights Division in the Office of the President. She focused on mainstreaming human rights and gender equality standards in the policies and interventions of all the Sectorial Commissions and Organs of the AU.
COMMENCEMENT OF CARREER
Diakhoumba started her professional career in 2005 at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha where she worked in the Office of the Prosecutor as Legal Researcher and Associate Legal Officer on the «rape trials» known as Butare and the Priests.E
EDUCATION
Diakhoumba holds an LLM in International and Human Rights Law from the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town, South Africa and a LLB (Maitrise) in International and European Law from the University of Aix-Marseille III in Aix-en-Provence, France. A passionate panafropolitan feminist, war resister and defender of all human rights of all people, she is fluent in French, English and Spanish. She is a national of Senegal, fervent believer in radical self love and holistic mental healthcare who loves the planet, children, dancing and laughing.
Link a su LinkedIn: Diakhoumba Gassama | LinkedIn
