Somia Sadiq is a Canadian-based impact assessment professional and peacebuilder. Somia has background and experience in environmental sciences, natural resource management, negotiations on international, tribal and national levels, violence prevention interventions, deradicalization, and counterterrorism. Somia is the founder of Narratives Inc, an award-winning consulting firm based out of Winnipeg, and the founder of Kahanee, a non-profit organization focusing on storytelling for peacebuilding. Somia has facilitated the creation of an impact assessment model that brings together multiple knowledge systems and recently created a model called the Identity-based conflict transformation model to support peacebuilding, healing, and transformation efforts between groups.

Somia has a Bachelors of Honours Environmental Sciences and a Masters in Natural Resources Management from the University of Manitoba, graduate certificate in Terrorism Analysis and counter terrorism Operations and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Identity, Othering, Framing, Trauma and Conflict Transformation. Somia has several advisory roles and board designations throughout her career. She currently sits on the Minister’s Advisory council for Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada. Somia has been featured as a speaker, workshop host, podcast guest in numerous events and shows, and has also been in many publications; recently, writing a chapter on ‘Trauma Informed Impact Assessment’ in the Handbook of Social Impact Assessment and Management.

Area of Expertise: National, International, and Inter-tribal Negotiations, Violence Prevention Interventions, Deradicalization and Psychosocial Readiness, Trauma-informed Practices, Peace Process Design, Relationship Agreements, Identity, Othering, and Framing in Peacebuilding

Country of origin: Pakistan

Current residence: Canada

Languages: English – Written and spoken English, Punjabi, Urdu, Spoken Hindi, and basic Arabic