Anika Rahman

Anika Rahman is a Bangladeshi-American lawyer and a leader for human rights and social justice. She is a prominent advocate for the advancement of marginalized and vulnerable communities worldwide. Her expertise is focused on human rights, women, health and economic development.

Rahman was born in Bangladesh and raised by three "strong willed women" after her father quickly divorced her mother and then abandoned her family. She moved to the United States to study international relations. She became an American citizen in 1997. She obtained a BA from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and her JD from Columbia Law School, before joining the law firm Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton.

She served as President and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women from February 2011 to August 2013. During her tenure, the women's rights organization launched a new rebranding campaign and focused on three key national issues. Prior to that, from 2004 to 2010, she was President of Friends for UNFPA, an NGO that supports the work of the United Nations Population Fund. During her tenure, she campaigned for the restoration of the U.S. government's funding for the United Nations Population Fund. In 2009, President Obama resumed the U.S. government's support for the United Nations Population Fund. Rahman was also the founding director of the International Legal Program of the Center for Reproductive Rights, where she worked from 1993 to 2002. She was a plaintiff in a 2002 lawsuit challenging the Global Gag Rule, also known at the Mexico City Policy. She is the co-author, with Nahid Toubia, of Female Genital Mutilation: A Practical Guide to Worldwide Laws and Policies (2000), published by Zed Books.

She was awarded Women's Enews "21 Leaders for the 21st Century" Award in 2009 and the Lawrence A. Wien Prize for Social Responsibility in 2002 by Columbia Law School. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.