Legacy in Action
Over the course of more than three decades, Dr. Farida Allaghi has been at the forefront of humanitarian and development advocacy, policy-making, and institution-building across the Arab world, shaping institutions, policies, and networks that continue to influence countless lives.
Her pioneering work with the Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND) — founded in 1980 by HRH Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud — laid the groundwork for the establishment of major regional institutions, including the Arab Council for Childhood and Development, the Arab Center for Research and Training for Women (CAWTAR), and Mentor Arabia for Drug Prevention, in addition to numerous programmes serving street children, combating child labour, supporting children with special needs, and advancing research on maternal and child health. These initiatives extended across 22 Arab countries and helped set new standards for social development programming in the region.
Many of these institutions and programmes, launched under AGFUND in the early 1990s, continue to operate today in cooperation with international partners, including the United Nations and leading global research and policy organizations.
At the global level, Dr. Allaghi contributed to the establishment of several prominent international networks, most notably the World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS) and Sisterhoods Global, and has served on the boards of numerous regional and international organizations, including the Arab Thought Foundation, the Arab Human Development Reports, TAKREEM, and Mentor. She currently serves as a board member of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Across these roles, she has contributed in senior technical and advisory capacities to programme design, institutional strategy, and regional coordination. Her approach has consistently prioritzsed institution-building over short-term interventions, strengthening governance structures and regional partnerships to ensure long-term, sustainable impact. The organizations below represent key platforms through which this work has taken shape. In recognition of her trailblazing contributions, Dr. Allaghi has received numerous national and international honors and was nominated among the 1000 Women for “the Nobel Peace Prize” in 2005.
