Zahraa Suleiman Al-Khayat serves as the Iraq Country Coordinator where she provides support to the PHR Iraq program’s objectives of strengthening capacity to document torture and sexual violence in Iraq.
Al-Khayat’s responsibilities as a project manager encompass a range of activities, from liaising with governmental bodies to implementing capacity-building workshops, advocacy, and network building. Her role as a local coordinator reflects a combination of strategic coordination, project implementation, and a focus on the documentation of human rights violations within the framework of PHR’s mission. She supports the full range of administrative processes related to the Iraq program, including grant management, workplans, budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation.
Zahraa has demonstrated her commitment to women’s empowerment through her involvement in projects supporting women and initiatives aimed at combating gender-based violence (GBV) in Iraq. Prior to joining PHR, Al-Khayat was a Human Resources Officer with the Iraq Health Access Organization, later becoming Human Resources Director and Program Manager for the GBV Program and Adolescent Girl Project. In those roles, she was responsible for overseeing collaboration with national and international NGOs, including the United Nations Population Fund and the International Medical Corps.
Al-Khayat has a bachelor’s degree in Surveying Engineering and is fluent in Arabic and English.