Amal Abubakar is the Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Global Weekly, where she oversees regional strategy, outreach and partnerships across the MENA Desk. Previously a MENA Desk Analyst at Global Weekly, Amal led coverage on key regional developments—producing high-impact briefings, political risk assessments, and fortnightly reports on state fragility, active conflict, and transnational diplomacy. Her analysis is shaped by a background in geopolitical risk, humanitarian governance, and conflict, combining policy knowledge with deep regional understanding.
Her research draws on a multidisciplinary background in International Relations and is informed by fieldwork and consultancy experience with organisations including Ridgeway Information and the International Planned Parenthood Federation. At IPPF, Amal led research on cross-border reproductive health in conflict-affected regions such as Sudan and the West Bank. Before this, at Ridgeway, she co-authored a policy report for the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) on Tunisia’s evolving migration landscape. Additionally, she was awarded a £5,000 Sutton Trust bursary, sponsored by JP Morgan, in recognition of her frontline humanitarian work with refugees in Calais.
Amal’s analytical expertise is reinforced by technical skills in OSINT, stakeholder engagement, and policy communication. Her current fellowships with the Salzburg Global Seminar (Public Policy New Voices Europe Fellow) and Bevisioneers Climate Fellowship further reflect her commitment to innovative, equity-driven approaches to global governance. As a Bevisioneers Fellow, she is developing a refugee-led initiative on climate displacement and governance; as a Salzburg Fellow, she contributes to a cross-sectoral project exploring democratic trust and migration systems in Europe.
She is fluent in Somali and English and conversational in Arabic. She is currently completing her BA in International Relations at SOAS, University of London, where her research interests include feminist foreign policy, securitisation, and the climate-migration nexus.