Meet our team
We draw on the experience of a network of highly skilled experts in economic and fiscal policy, legal and constitutional affairs, and development practice. We provide a vital link between academic research and practical policy-making, turning findings into recommendations policymakers can readily implement.
Eva Abdulla
Chairperson
Eva Abdulla, former Deputy Speaker, was a three-term elected member of the Parliament of Maldives. Her main work in Parliament concentrated on good governance, foreign policy, and gender. She served on the Parliamentary Committees for Oversight of the National Security Services, Economic Affairs, and State Budget Review. Eva served on the IPU Committee on Women Parliamentarians, the IPU High-Level Advisory Group on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism, and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Small Branches Steering Committee. She previously worked at the WHO and the UNFPA, and was Manager for the newspaper Minivan Daily. She holds a BA in Politics and Government from the University of Kent and an MA in Politics and International Relations from the University of Warwick.
Jeehan Mahmood
Vice Chairperson
Jeehan Mahmood, a former Maldives MP (2019-2024), chaired the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Rights and Gender and the Inter-Parliamentary Union Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights. As an expert human rights consultant, she has led legislative reform on child rights and protection in the Maldives and has undertaken international consultancies on human rights issues. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Association for the Prevention of Torture. Jeehan has pioneered human rights reforms in the Maldives as a Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission, a civil society member, and a parliamentarian. She holds advanced degrees in Human Rights Education, Sociology, Psychology, and English.
Afshan Latheef
Vice Chairperson
Afshan Latheef has extensive experience working with state agencies, civil society, media and political parties, particularly in collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders to formulate policy, implementing strategies to achieve government objectives, and crafting advocacy and communication plans to promote policies, manifestos and campaigns. With a keen interest in community empowerment and local governance, she most recently served as CEO of the Local Government Authority of the Maldives, mandated with monitoring the functioning of all local councils established in the country.