Dr. Najwa Adra is a cultural anthropologist with over 30 years of experience in international development and field research in Yemen. She has consulted with the World Bank, DFID, USAID, UNICEF, FAO, UNESCO and NOREF on projects that include women’s roles in conflict mediation, adult literacy, women’s participation in agriculture, reproductive health and heritage. She established UNICEF’s Women in Development position in 1984, and in 2001, she piloted an innovative and highly successful literacy project for adult women. In this project, students’ own oral poetry provided the text through which they learned reading and writing skills. Dr. Adra has also worked on conflict resolution, customary law and tribal identity in Yemen, as these have changed over the past 30 years.