About
Rita Manchanda is a prominent writer and human rights advocate specialising in conflict resolution and peace-building in South Asia, with a focus on vulnerable and marginalised groups. She has over 15 years of experience as a Senior Executive and Research Director at the South Asia Forum for Human Rights (SAFHR), where she directs and coordinates a diverse portfolio of programs, including ‘Human Rights Audits of Peace Processes’, ‘Women, Conflict, and Peace’, ‘Media in Conflict’ and ‘Rights-based Approaches to Poverty Reduction’. Over the past fifteen years, she has served as a gender advisor for the Commonwealth Technical Fund (2004-05) and has worked as a consultant on projects with various organizations, including UN Women (2010-11, 2012-13, 2014), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2014-15, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogues (2011, 2012), and SAFERWORLD (2015, 2016).
She has delivered lectures on conflict resolution at various institutions, including the Rotary Centre for International Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution, Chulalongkorn University (2014); Welthungerhilfe (2014); Lady Shri Ram College (2008-16) and the SAFHR: Human Rights and Peace Orientation Course (2000-08). Her expertise in the intersection of gender studies, peace and security is reflected in publications, such as ‘SAGE Series in Human Rights Audits of Peace Processes’ (2015), ‘Women and the Politics of Peace’ (2017) and ‘Women in the Naga Peace Process’ (2004).
