Gulnara Shahinian is international independent expert on human rights, slavery and human trafficking . She has been an inspiring leader and founder of numerous social enterprises for women in the border communities of Armenia.
She has been elected by the UN Human rights Council as the first UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery as well as elected as first deputy chair of Intergovernmental commission of the Council Of Europe to develop and monitor the Convention of Actions against Trafficking in human beings. She also chaired numerous UN expert commissions.
She has been working in more than 30 countries, assessing situation with human rights and presenting recommendation’s to the Governments
She is member of board of many international organizations and has numerous publications and currently works as international consultant with many agencies.
She is recipient of many awards from Governments (Brasil ,Mauritania,USA) for her work and Anita Augsburg Award for peace
In Armenia she is founder and chair of NGO “Democracy Today” one of the oldest civil society organizations in Armenia that works in the area of gender equality and economic empowerment of women and youth. Using creative innovative techniques herself and her creative team have helped to establish and successfully run around 200 effective social enterprises thought Armenia, providing new inspiration and life to so many people and the country.
