Expertise: Human Rights, Peacebuilding, Negotiation, Mediation.  

Languages: Arabic and English.  

Bio: Laila Al-Thawr (@LailaLutf) is the first woman in Yemen to hold the position of Assistant Secretary-General of the Political Bureau and Relations for the Arab Hope Party. She is the head of Sam Foundation and works as Deputy for Political Affairs and Relations of the High Council for Coordination of Parties and Community Organizations. Additionally, she is the Vice President of the Yemeni Youth Peace Coalition and Assistant Secretary-General of the Yemeni National Women’s Movement. She is a founding member of the Women’s Politics Network, a member of the Women’s Solidarity Network, an activist in the field of peace and human right, and she is an expert in the art of negotiation, lobbying, and advocacy.

Laila played a vital role in the mediation process for the largest prisoner exchange in Yemen, which was one of the outcomes of the Yemeni Peace Talks. More than 500 prisoners were exchanged between warriors. Laila worked in exchanging war prisoners in several governorates, including Taiz and Mareb. She was also able to release around 100 prisoners from jail. In addition, Al Thawr contributed to resolving a number of the largest public opinion cases in Yemen, including the issue of kidnapping women and children, ending bloody conflict between the families, and as a result of this mediation, she managed to return two children to their mothers. Laila is an expert in lobbying, advocacy, and civil alliance formation. She was awarded the title of Peace-Maker and was honored by several local and international organizations as Ambassador for Peace and Human Rights. She was chosen as one of 2019's most prominent personalities for humanitarian work in the Arab world. 

She is a gender trainer and works in spreading awareness. She participated in many local and international conferences and workshops. Laila holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Azal University of Science and Technology. She has a Mini-Master's in Business Administration & was honored with an honorary doctorate from the International Academy for Studies and Development. She has many international diplomas, one of which is Conflict Resolution and Development of Public Policies.