Title

Former Member, Planning Commission, Government of India

Position

Global Board of Directors

Bio

Dr. Syeda Saiyidain Hameed was born in Kashmir and currently resides in New Delhi, India. She holds a BA from Delhi University, an MA from the University of Hawaii, a PhD from the University of Alberta, and, since 1986, has authored more than 20 books and articles pertaining to women’s, religious, and minority rights in South Asia. She formerly served on the Planning Commission of the Indian Government with responsibilities including health, women and children, and minority rights; and currently serves as Chancellor of The Maulana Azad National Urdu University in Hyderabad – a university committed to providing higher, technical and vocational education to women in the Urdu language. In 2012, Dr. Hameed joined The Hunger Project’s Global Board of Directors.

Dr. Hameed’s career demonstrates a long-standing commitment to sustainable development and the education of women. As a member of groups such as the Island Development Authority she works to ensure the ecologically sound development of India’s two major island chains and with the National Commission for Women she worked to protect and improve safeguards provided to women under the Constitution of India – such as freedom from violence, harassment or discrimination.

Making it a priority to be at the forefront of development, Dr. Hameed has been a founding member of a great number of rights and education groups including the Muslim Women’s Forum where she advocates for legal literacy of Muslim women who wish to work with government; the Women’s Initiative for Peace in South Asia – an organization that empowers women as catalysts for a climate of peace through dialogue; South Asians for Human Rights; and the Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation.