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Ruya Leghari

I have come to appreciate that humanitarian values can have little significance unless translated into effective action. The challenge is no small one; to make it a reality, improved communication on aid efforts is essential. Only by enhancing communication can we ensure that humanitarian actors, donors and beneficiaries are better informed, better able to communicate their needs and better equipped to improve response. Communications helps bridge the gap between relief and recovery, helping to serve victims of crisis the world over.

Humanitarian values need to be translated into effective action

Ruya Leghari is an international relations and development consultant, specialising in human rights, international cooperation and communications. She holds a Master degree in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Oxford, UK, and a B.A. Hon. in International History and Human Rights from Carleton University, Canada.

Her professional experience includes several years at the headquarters of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in Madrid, Spain. Working in the organization’s Ethics and Social Dimensions of Tourism department, she served as a communications specialist, copyeditor, policy advisor, researcher, and speech writer for the UNWTO Secretary-General and Executive Directors on ethical issues.

During her time with the UN, she participated extensively in projects concerning human rights, international cooperation, human trafficking, child protection, gender equality, accessibility, cultural heritage and sustainable development. She has also worked as a researcher on several gender and development projects with Dr Lucy Ferguson, Director of the NGO Equality in Tourism. She currently collaborates with the non-profit network by providing research assistance, copy editing and support with their social media work.

Now at Dahlia, Ruya is involved with the quality-control of communications output, evaluations, reports and assessments, working closely with other team members to help ensure that effective communication functions as a means of improving humanitarian response, and of bridging the gap between crisis relief and development.

Enhanced communication is central to improving response