Ines Amri is an activist, teacher and expert in founding and establishing socially-minded start-ups. Currently based in Tunis, she originally hails from Gabes in Tunisia’s south, where her work with local activist networks and rights-focussed projects at the time of the 2011 revolution saw her become a respected advocate and force for change.
In May 2012 Ines co-founded and was President of Organisation Volonté et Citoyenneté (Will and Citizenship Organization), a youth-led, post-Revolution NGO formed to promote the importance of civil society, social entrepreneurship and human rights in shaping Tunisia’s future. She was nominated to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in the US, and one of four Tunisian delegates to work for the US Congress, in the office of Congresswoman Betty McCollum - and was subsequently appointed Visiting Scholar at the Institute of the Study of Human Rights (ISHR) at Columbia University in New York City. This in turn led to her being awarded grant funding to produce Nsina? (Did We Forget?), a documentary addressing the long history of oppression in Tunisia. Also an alumnus of the American Islamic Congress (AIC) and the Cultural Innovators Network (CIN).
Ines’ broad range of experience led to her being headhunted for her current position as Deputy Secretary General and Director of the Maghreb Economic Forum (MEF), a Think-and-Do Tank focused on supporting Maghreb integration and unlocking economic and social growth. Ines is passionate about embracing her hybrid identity as both a world citizen and a local activist.
