RIYA WILLIAMS YUYADA

Experienced Development Economist with over 15 years in project management and human rights, focusing on women's rights and peacebuilding in conflict areas. Skilled in empowering women, youth, and community leaders to drive social change. Holds a degree in Development Economics from Makerere University, complemented by training in human rights, campaigning, and leadership. Committed to fostering collaborative, high-performing teams to achieve project success.

• Speaker
• TEDX Kakuma 2018 speaker
• Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in 2018
• Addressed the UN Security Council in March 2022 on South Sudan and women’s peace and security
• Women’s Human Rights
• Awarded the Amnesty International Ginatta Sagan Award in 2021; for her work in defending human rights especially of women and children
• Founded Crown the Woman–South Sudan ( www.crownthewoman.org ) in 2016
• Advisor to Urgent Action Fund-Africa
• Adviser to FRIDA the young women feminist Fund
• Representative to Geneva’s 54th Session of Human Rights Council in 2023
• Panelist, “On the occasion of the International Day for Women Human Rights Defenders 2023 convened by the Generation Equality Feminist Movements and Leadership Action Coalition, in Collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action
• Co-Facilitator of the designing teams for the Nobel Women’s Initiative and Coardy Institute in Canada, on Reclaiming our pleasures as Political Act of Resistance and Tactics & Strategies for Nonviolent change in 2023
• Co-authored LALA, a comic book saying no to Gender Based Violence
• Advisor to the Young Feminist Fund on Resource mobilization
• Was one of the iniators in the “Mamara Sakit” campaign to change the narrative about women
• OXFAM-UK invited me to facilitate sessions UK schools on feminist leadership and advocacy
• Wrote a petition with the Mzansi for South Sudanese women to end sexual and gender-based violence against South Sudanese women
• Joined #AtenyWekMustBeFired, demanding that the presidential spokesperson is fired for disrespecting women
• Created “walk against rape” campaign, advocating for the end of rape in South Sudan, and demanded justice for victims of sexual violence
• Initiated #South Sudanese girls and women are born to lead, #NuswanGidaam, #Women at the frontlines, a movement that advocates for women in leadership
• Peace Activism
• Mobilized a protest demanding peace in 2017, 300+ participated
• Participated in our national peace process, the High Level Revitalization forum in Addis Ababa and Khartoum
• Participated in the High-Level Revitalization Forum, a South Sudanese IGAD-led peace process
• International Speaker
• Spoke on GirlsGlobe Podcast, discussing transformative leadership in 2023
• Joined a 4-women panel with Yvone ChakaChaka, Dr. Thuli Mandonseka, and Dr. Ayak Chol Deng in 2020
• Addressed the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council

• 2025: Bridge Modular workshop on Gender Equality and Violence Against Women in Elections
• 2020: Human Rights Online Course.
• 2019: The International Global Leadership Institute at University of Denver, in partnership with the US Institute for Peace in inclusive leadership
• Peace and Social Change fellowship program led by the Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee with the University of Columbia;
• The European Parliament Sakharov fellowship and human rights course at the Venice School of Human Rights-Global Human Rights Campus
• 2018: Intense course on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and women’s human rights at the University of Toronto Women’s Human Rights Institute.
• 2017: International Visitor Leadership Program supported by US State Department
• 2016: Feminist Leadership Institute, Nairobi, Young African Leaders Initiative Regional Leadership Center East Africa program in Nairobi.
• 2015: Training in peace building and conflict transformation organised by Coalition for Peace in Africa, Nairobi
• Sister-to-sister mentorship program with the Nobel Women’s Initiative, Ottawa, Canada
• Play for Peace training organised by Plan International.

• CROWN THE WOMAN–SOUTH SUDAN
• Mobilized six women to found the organization
• Team leader and Executive Director
• Mentored 500+ students in South Sudan from 10 schools.
• Supporting formation of schools’ Gender-Based Violence clubs
• Increased number of donors/funders from zero in 2016 to seven in 2020
• Supporting facilitations in advocacy and leadership
• PLAY FOR PEACE–SOUTH SUDAN
• Co-founded Play for Peace, South Sudan to promote peace using games.
• Coordinated the team and the initiative’s activities for 2 years.
• Supported formation of school and community peace clubs

• Front Line Defenders
• Care International, a fund from The Global Affairs Canada
• The Legal Action Aid Worldwide
• A research grant to partner with Queens University Canada as a researcher 2023–2024
• She Is the First, a girls’ grant;
• Global Fund for Women
• Urgent Action Fund-Africa
• The Young Feminist Fund
• Oxfam
• The United Nations Population Fund
• The Norwegian People’s Aid
• Equality Fund
• March International women’s fund
• The German Embassy in South Sudan
• The Canadian Embassy in South Sudan
• United States Agency for International Development; Through the US embassy in South Sudan