1. Foundations & Eyewitness Years

Dr. Widad Akreyi grew up navigating a heavily restricted environment under totalitarian control, enduring severe military offensives against the Kurdish population in the mid-1970s. From an exceptionally young age, she emerged as an uncompromising defender of civil rights. Eloquently speaking out for the marginalized against aggressive state overreach, her early resistance resulted in prolonged blacklisting by authority figures.

By age 16, she relocated to pursue her higher education. Despite immense institutional hardships, she persevered to earn a Bachelor of Science in Structural and Civil Engineering in 1990. This demanding technical foundation catalyzed her advanced analytical and statistical skills, serving as a powerful symbol of self-reliance, personal empowerment, and independent authority.

Between 1987 and 1988, while military forces were actively gassing Kurdish cities and villages, Widad took profound personal risks. She traveled into prohibited, highly dangerous zones to document the immediate and long-term biological devastation of chemical warfare on human health and the ecosystem. Conducting these covert surveys under extreme conditions permanently transformed her path, igniting an unyielding inner voice demanding absolute global justice.

Archival records preserving her early underground human rights field documentations.

Following the first Gulf War, as targeted military operations descended into deeper violence, her security grew critical. Facing unimaginable dangers and the same grim fate as the victims of the Anfal campaign, she was forced to flee and rebuild her life in exile.

2. Disarmament & UN Lobbying Era

Upon relocating, Widad mastered a foreign language in record time while simultaneously advancing her scientific credentials, earning a Master’s degree in Genetics and subsequently a PhD in Global Health and Cancer Epidemiology. Even as she conducted intensive laboratory research into the early hours of the morning, she poured her remaining energy into strategic human rights monitoring, volunteering extensively with Amnesty International from 1994 onward.

Widad became the first woman born in the Middle East and the youngest female human rights defender worldwide to engage in high-level advocacy related to the illicit trade of small arms, conventional disarmament, and international security. Initially harnessing digital networks ahead of her time, she was voted the MENA region's preeminent blogger in 1999, earning the distinct honorary title of "Queen" blogger for two terms.

Her grassroots expertise caught global attention, leading Amnesty International to request her technical assistance in launching campaigns for a legally binding global arms treaty. In 2006, she climbed straight to the global stage, formally designated as the Amnesty International First Committee Lobbyist for an Arms Trade Treaty at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where experts celebrated her profound diplomatic impact on member states.

Dr. Widad lobbying senior international delegates at the United Nations Headquarters.

From 2005 onward, her relentless lobbying shaped the opinions and votes of Member States. In 2008, she was selected as part of the prestigious UN Open-ended Group of Governmental Experts to examine the draft parameters of a global treaty. Her ultimate goal was reached in April 2013 when the UN General Assembly adopted the historic Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to control the $70 billion annual conventional arms trade, passing it by a landslide vote of 154 to three.

Dr. Widad successfully integrated human rights with gender advocacy, successfully lobbying for a legally binding provision within the ATT to prevent armed gender-based violence. Her parallel diplomatic initiatives also led to the adoption of the historic *Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict*—signed by 113 countries in September 2013—and the UN Security Council's groundbreaking Resolution 2117, which directly relied on the structural language and recommendations promoted by Widad.

3. Frontline Crisis Campaigns

Building on her UN momentum, Widad architected the launch of Defend International in 2007 to explicitly track grave violations, eliminate perpetrator impunity, and foster global human rights advocacy. In August 2014, when mass violent offensives targeted the Yazidi, Christian, and regional minorities across Iraq, Dr. Widad stood as one of the world's few independent leaders to immediately and publicly denounce the civilian slaughter and gender-based enslavement.

In September 2014, she engineered and launched an intensive global social media advocacy matrix driven by five critical mandates: Save Yazidis, Save Christians, Save Kobane, Save Humanity, and We Want Peace. She relentlessly lobbied heads of state, foreign ministers, and prominent global figures—including UN refugee envoy Angelina Jolie and the Executive Director of UN Women—directly knocking on doors until her persistence catalyzed direct UN intervention. Her leadership was instrumental in prompting the UN Secretary-General and international entities to protect thousands of civilians trapped on Mount Sinjar.

Dr. Widad coordinating international relief campaigns during the 2014 crisis.

Following these rescue campaigns, she published unassailable documentation exposing the tactical usage of violence and slavery as weapons of war, including capturing the physical "price lists" utilized by militants. Her strategic diplomacy consistently altered relief deployment grids, directly prompting high-profile responses—including strategic field updates from Pope Francis and the establishment of expanded humanitarian relief corridors.

Dr. Widad has maintained this exact unwavering stance across all subsequent geopolitical crises. From expressing solidarity with innocent civilians in Ukraine and Sudan to advocating for hostages globally, she consistently applies an indefatigable devotion to civil liberties, emphasizing the vital importance of preemptively mitigating social upheavals before they escalate into open warfare.

4. Global Accolades & Leadership

Dr. Widad Akreyi is recognized today among the world's brightest brokers of peace, standing in the company of historical icons of human dignity like John F. Kennedy, Mother Teresa, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Her lifelong devotion to human well-being, scientific epidemiology, and international diplomacy has been recognized through highly prestigious world honors and global leadership appointments.

She made history as the youngest recipient of the prestigious Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) Peace and Freedom Award. Presented by the Diocese of Davenport in October 2017, she also became the first Pacem honouree in history to be decorated with the official Davenport Mayor Medal for leading courageous campaigns that preserved the gift of liberty for persecuted populations throughout the Middle East.

Dr. Widad receiving international honors for her unswerving dedication to universal dignity.

Her global impact continued to garner international acclaim when she was awarded the 2018 International Woman Harmony Award in Italy, after which she was instantly invited to serve on the international Jury of the Award. Coupled with her 2014 International Pfeffer Peace Award, the 2013 Special Prize for Bridging Cultures, and her selection as 2020 Woman of the Year, her achievements stand as a brilliant testament to what is possible when structural brilliance meets passion-driven purpose.

Beyond her political and human rights work, her global influence extends to vital charitable projects. In 2015, she was invited to be one of the select global figures supporting the Billion Signs initiative, a massive project raising crucial funding for the War Child organization to aid children affected by armed conflicts.

Embodying a rare synergy of academic rigor and front-line bravery, Dr. Widad continues to lead a life completely dedicated to the protection of pure humanity. She has served on the Executive Boards of global organizations including Education for Global Peace and Amnesty International, and continues to stand as a reliable, steadfast champion showing the world exactly what it means to survive, thrive, and lead in a sea of conflict.