Aala is a women’s rights and peace activist, with over seventeen years of experience working in the field of civil society in Iraq including Kurdistan Region. She has a substantial experience managing and administering programs funded by UN agencies and other international donors.
The 17 years of experiences have provided her skills, expertise and knowledge in multiple sectors, including, building of partnerships and coalitions for the purpose of peacebuilding, conflict transformation, social cohesion and democratization in a transitioning context. Recognizing that a successful transition out of conflict requires collaboration and understanding, she is an specialist in conflict analysis studies/researches, peace-building strategies and organizational democracy. She has also been a member of the Iraqi al-Amal Association since 1995, and elected to the board of trustees in 2008.
In addition to her work as a Community Mobilization Expert at UNDP-Iraq since 2010. She has served as Iraq Program Coordinator with the Olof Palme International Center, Senior Regional Program Officer with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), Peace-building Consultant with the UN Development Program, and Country Manager of Women in Technology for Institute of International Education.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Master in Business Administration /MBA and Master of Arts in Conflict Transformation from the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University (USA).