RANA HUSSEINI 
Internationally recognized human rights activist and journalist with more than fifteen years experience in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Rana Husseini, broke the silence by exposing the phenomenon of so-called crimes of honour in Jordan.
Rana has an extensive experience in investigative journalism and research on human rights abuses affecting women in MENA, and most recently she has been working as a senior reporter with The Jordan Times and trainer of journalists. She has proven abilities as a program coordinator and manager of international projects and networks of contacts with organisations such as UNIFEM, Equality Now, and Freedom House. As a gifted public speaker and lecturer she has been invited frequently to speak at venues in Europe, the United States, Asia and the Middle East as well as to give network interviews with the BBC, CNN and ABC and Arabic language media.
Rana has earned a number of local and international awards, including a medal from King Abdullah II of Jordan for work on women and human rights, the Human Rights Watch Award for reporting and activism and the Reebok Human Rights Award.
Dr LIBBY ASSASSI
After gaining an Open University degree, Libby Assassi obtained an MA in International Relations (IR) at Sussex University followed by a doctorate in Gender and Global Political Economy (GPE) in 2004. From 1995 to 2007, she was involved in convening and teaching a variety of courses in IR and GPE at Sussex, including those more directly focused on gender. Her particular research interests are gender, finance and global business more generally but also range across issues concerned with exploitation and social injustice.
In terms of publications, Libby has recently published ‘The Gendering of Global Finance’ with Palgrave Macmillan and has co-edited two volumes on global finance and global regulation. Libby is now an Associate Fellow of the Centre for Gender Studies at the University of Sussex, an Associate Lecturer with the Open University, and a member of the Policy Network for Globalisation and Social Justice.
Dr PETER POPKIN
Peter is an archaeologist by training, having completed his PhD at UCL. He has worked and traveled extensively throughout the Near East, Europe and Canada and is looking forward to applying his research and management skills in the field of international development.
Off-duty, Peter can be found sheltering from the rain in a cozy, quiet pub advocating the merits of Scandinavian furniture.
