Urieb Samad is a development and humanitarian professional with over 15 years of extensive experience in education and women’s empowerment initiatives across conflict-affected areas, including Palestine, Syria, Türkiye, Iraq, and Afghanistan. She specializes in education in emergencies and youth programs, excelling in designing and managing initiatives that integrate life skills, technical training, and social and behavioural change strategies.

Urieb notably led the largest humanitarian mine risk education operation with Mines Advisory Group in Iraq from 2017 to 2019, demonstrating exceptional leadership in high-stakes humanitarian contexts. Her collaborative approach involves working closely with governments, UN agencies such as the United Nations Office for Project Services and the International Organization for Migration, and civil society organizations to forge impactful partnerships and champion refugee and internally displaced persons’ rights. Through her efforts, she has supported over 7,300 participants by fostering vibrant communities of practice via both in-person and online platforms. Her work also includes comprehensive needs assessments, tailored training material development, and rigorous program evaluation, all while championing social equity and effective team leadership.

She holds dual master’s degrees, including an MA in regional and American studies from Al-Quds University, and an MA in disaster management from Coventry University, where she studied as a Chevening scholar.

As an AsiaGlobal Fellow, her research focused on global education governance, exploring its potential to enhance access and quality within the field of education in emergencies.