Member Spotlight: Shadia Marhaban
Shadia Marhaban is an international mediator, capacity builder and activist from Aceh, Indonesia. She was a member of the Free Acheh Movement’s (GAM) peace negotiating team in Helsinki (2005) that ended the 30 years of conflict. Upon her return to Aceh, she co-founded the Acheh Women’s League (LINA) to oversee the implementation of the reintegration programmes for women ex-combatants and to provide training for their political participation.
Since then, she has concentrated her activities on consultation for peaceful dialogues in many conflict areas in Southeast Asia and established contacts with several conflict actors in the region. She studied Political Science and International Relations in Indonesia and is a Fellow of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. Shadia’s mediation focuses on the political transition of separatist and liberation movements with respect to their identity, religion, and dignity exploring models that can be acceptable by both parties. She is a consultant for the UNDP ExpRes (Expert Roster for Rapid Response) and serves as MBBI’s regional Consultant for South East Asia.
Read more about MBBI’s engagements in Southeast Asia here.
Shadia Marhaban is MBBI’s Peacemaker of the Year, 2017 for championing of UNSCR 1325.
Her publications are listed below:
- Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Processes (DDR): The Gender Asset (PRIO, 2015)
- Challenges and Opportunities for Female Combatants’ Post-war Community Leadership: Lessons Learnt from Aceh and Mindanao (Berghof Foundation, 2016)
- Post-War Security Transitions (Routledge, 2012)