Yara Nseir

Program Manager

Yara is a program manager and strategist with over 20 years of experience across development, governance, peacebuilding, and cultural work. As part of senior leadership, she designs and leads inclusive programs that strengthen systems, foster internal learning, and support communities navigating complex transitions. Yara’s work centers on empowering women and youth—particularly in public life and political processes—while advancing participatory governance and grassroots engagement.
She brings a long-standing commitment to supporting civil society actors, formal and informal governance structures, and community-based initiatives, particularly in fragile and post-conflict settings. Her approach emphasizes locally rooted practices and the active involvement of right-holders in shaping public life. She supports the rethinking of governance frameworks to include both formal and informal actors, creating space for more inclusive and accountable models of leadership.
Yara is a co-founder of the Syrian Women Platform, which promotes women’s political participation, and ABAWB for Arts and Culture, a space for multidisciplinary and critical cultural expression. With a foundation in journalism and the arts, she brings a creative, people-centered lens to program leadership. Her current focus includes recovery and peacebuilding in Syria. Yara studied French Literature at Damascus University and Drama Studies at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus and works fluently in Arabic and English, with developing proficiency in French.