Mediators

Rita Lopidia is the Executive Director and Co-founder of Eve Organization for Women Development in Juba, South Sudan. EVE was established to help improve women’s participation in decision-making, reconciliation, peace building and conflict resolution in South Sudan through knowledge transfer, professional development and capacity building.
Ms. Lopidia is vocal on human rights abuses and especially on sexual and gender based violence, women political participation, space creation for South Sudanese women, development of South Sudan National Action Plan and operational efforts of UNSCR 1325, and also key in drafting gender-sensitive legislation. She has organized conferences, workshops and seminars to encourage women’s education, and to promote a realistic dialogue to address the current conflict. Ms Lopidia rallied other civil society organizations and together worked on the integration of United Nations Security Council Resolution UNSCR 1325 National Action Plan into the New Deal Compact of South Sudan. With the outbreak of the December 2013 violence in South Sudan, Ms Lopidia organized gender activists to demand for women and civil society representation in the IGAD–led South Sudan Peace process in Addis Ababa, and has been actively engaged in advocating for peace.
Ms. Lopidia has represented South Sudanese women and has spoken in different international forums addressing issues of women, peace and security in South Sudan. Ms.
Lopidia was one of the CSO delegates to the South Sudan IGAD–led peace process.
She is currently involved in the peace conversations in her country where she is among others leading the women wing of peace negotiators.
Ms. Lopidia was nominated for the Post of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association. She holds an Honors Degree in Applied and Industrial Science from the University of Juba, and two Masters Degrees in Human Resources Management and in International Politics and Security Studies from the University of Bradford.