Gayatri Patel

Vice President of External Relations, Women’s Refugee Commission

Gayatri Patel is the Vice President of Advocacy and External Relations at the Women’s Refugee Commission. With over 20 years of experience in women’s rights and gender equality, Gayatri oversees the organization’s policy advocacy with the U.S. Government and the UN. Gayatri previously served as the Director of Gender Advocacy at CARE USA leading U.S. Government advocacy on feminist foreign policy, women’s economic empowerment, gender-based violence, and gender in humanitarian emergencies. Gayatri also advised the U.S. State Department on a variety of human rights and humanitarian issues and served as the Director of Legal Programming at the Africa Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA) organization, which provides pro bono legal services to refugees and asylum-seekers in Egypt. Gayatri holds a law degree from American University’s Washington College of Law with a focus on international human rights and humanitarian law, a masters degree from American University’s School for International Service, and a bachelors degree from Mount Holyoke College.

Vision Statement:

Gayatri believes strongly in UNA-NCA’s mission and envisions collective advocacy to advance a shared understanding of the UN’s work worldwide. She aims to reinforce partnerships and engage UNA-NCA members to leverage their voices in building a strong advocacy presence with U.S. policymakers to achieve broader support and resources for the UN’s critical mission."