Farida Shaheed
Farida Shaheed is a sociologist and feminist human rights activist. In 2012, she was appointed the first ever United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights. She heads the Shirkat Gah women's resource centre in Pakistan. She is well known for her extensive work on gender and class analysis, both in Pakistan and globally. Farida has over 25 years of research and activist experience, using a gender and feminist lens on issues of rural development, labour, culture, religion and the state. She has particularly focused on promoting and protecting cultural rights through policies and projects for marginalised communities, including women, the impoverished, religious and ethnic minorities. Farida is also an expert in international, regional and national negotiations, including within the United Nations and Pakistan. She is the recipient of several national and international human rights awards.