Human Rights & Accountability in the Arab World: 15 Years After the Uprisings | Mai El-Sadany, TIMEP Executive Director

Reimagining the future of policy and human rights across the Middle East and North Africa requires moving past broken international systems and broadening our collective imagination. Executive Director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP), Mai El-Sadany, explores how centering those most impacted can drive meaningful legal advocacy, creative accountability, and systemic change. Grounded in the enduring legacy of the 2011 Arab uprisings, the discussion addresses the evolution of civil society organizations, navigating global funding crises, and overcoming systemic inertia. 00:00 Introduction 01:55 Decentering the Old Guard in Policy Advocacy 08:44 Finding Your Strategic Space 13:30 15 Years of Tectonic Shifts 17:46 Operationalizing Ethical Policy and Community Building 21:40 Navigating Systemic Inertia and Regional Realignment 28:44 Bending the Arc: Mobilization Beyond Complacency 33:37 Pluralistic Justice and Strategic Legal Alliances 38:14 Strategic Resilience Amid Non-Profit Funding Shifts 44:13 Differentiating Core Values from Institutional Decay 50:10 Constructing Alternate Frameworks 54:58 Investing in Grassroots Alliances and Independent Media Mai El-Sadany is the Executive Director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP). She is a human rights lawyer with a focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Throughout her career, she has worked to expand creative pathways to accountability, to leverage international and regional mechanisms to advance human rights, and to publish accessible analysis and scholarship on legal, judicial, and constitutional issues. She was previously TIMEP's Managing Director and Legal and Judicial Director. Prior to that, she worked at the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, among other organizations. She is a Steering Committee member of the World Movement for Democracy, a member of the Working Group on Egypt, and a Board Member of HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement. Mai holds a J.D. and certificate in refugees and humanitarian emergencies from the Georgetown University Law Center, and a B.A. in political science from Stanford University.