Yara Ouda... A Youth Leadership Voice in the International Arena for Peace and Development
Ms. Yara Ouda is a leading expert in strategic planning, policy analysis, international cooperation, and multilateral development. She possesses extensive experience in the fields of peace, conflict, security, international development, and humanitarian diplomacy. Currently, Ms. Yara serves as the Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) Program Officer at the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA), affiliated with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She is responsible for integrating and advancing the YPS agenda and related regional frameworks across all stages of CCCPA’s conflict resolution and peacebuilding programs. She also leads the Youth Track of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development and represents the Center at various relevant events and activities.
Ms. Yara brings a multidisciplinary background through her previous roles in governmental, regional, and international institutions. She has been selected as a member of the African Union’s Wise Youth Network for conflict prevention and mediation (2024–2027), and was also named among the African Union's Youth for Peace initiative. Additionally, she was elected as a Regional Focal Point for the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth, where she represented the SDG 16 Working Group at UN ECOSOC Youth Forums. She also contributed to member states’ Voluntary National Reviews, notably delivering a presentation at the UN General Assembly on Saudi Arabia’s first VNR during the 2023 High-Level Political Forum.
Previously, Ms. Yara served as a Humanitarian Affairs Advisor at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), focusing on promoting humanitarian diplomacy and the principles of international humanitarian law across Africa and the Arab world. She also worked as an Economic Development and International Cooperation Specialist at Egypt’s Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, where she coordinated the Social and Economic Committee of the presidential initiative Hayah Karima (“Decent Life”). In this capacity, she helped foster partnerships with the private sector and civil society organizations to support policies addressing multidimensional poverty, in line with Egypt’s Vision 2030, in cooperation with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
At the regional level, Ms. Yara held the position of Technical Officer at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, where she contributed to inclusive youth policies aligned with Agenda 2063. She played a key role in developing and managing the socio-economic action plan of the “Silencing the Guns” initiative under the Office of the Chairperson of the AU Commission.
Ms. Yara holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Political Science from Cairo University. She participated in an academic exchange program on public policy and religious studies at the University of Amsterdam, earned a diploma in Diplomatic Studies, and is currently pursuing an MBA at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport.
