Katharina Samara-Wickrama is a dedicated advocate for gender equality and the rights of refugee women. With a background in law, Katharina began her international career with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), where she promoted the rights and equality of refugee women.
Katharina's expertise in addressing abuse and exploitation issues led her to establish the first joint NGO programme focused on training staff to investigate such allegations. Thereafter, her passion for accountability and transparency guided her tenure as the leader of the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership, where she championed the accountability of humanitarian and development aid organizations to the communities they serve.
For just over a decade, Katharina served as the Director of the Issues Affecting Women programme at the Oak Foundation, where she supported women's movements and initiatives aimed at ending violence against women, including intimate partner violence, trafficking, and exploitation. Throughout her career, Katharina has remained steadfast in her commitment to amplifying the voices of those most often unheard and fostering meaningful, lasting connections for social justice.