Mary Jane N. Real is the Co-Lead of Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights Asia & Pacific (UAF A&P), a newly established organisation that provides rapid response grants and supports women and non-binary human rights defenders at risk in Asia and the Pacific. She is a founding member and former Coordinator of the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition. A lawyer and a long-time advocate for women's human rights, she has worked with various international, regional and national organisations and initiatives in different capacities including as current Board member of Front Line Defenders and Jass Associates.
Dr Lyana Khairuddin is Political Adviser at the British High Commission, Kuala Lumpur. She founded the social movement #bringbackthekebaya in 2016, promoting the celebration of Malay culture and women empowerment through this traditional blouse. Lyana trained as a virologist, with published international works in Human Papillomavirus (HPV; the virus known to cause cervical cancer) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Her former column, NaturalLy, published by The Star Media Group commented on socio- and identity politics in Malaysia.
As the Advocacy Officer of GALANG Philippines, she facilitates the organization's engagement with local and national bodies to bring into mainstream consciousness the pressing issues and concerns of lesbians, bisexual women, and trans men living in urban poor communities. After completing her Bachelors Degree in Social Sciences (Major in Social Anthropology-Minor in History) from the University of the Philippines Baguio, Gyky joined GALANG as a Community Organizer. This position provided her with critical insights on ground-level realities that fuel her passion to tirelessly advocate for equality, diversity, and LGBT rights.
Renu Khanna is a feminist women’s health and rights activist. She has a Master in Business Administration from Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University, India. She is a founder trustee of SAHAJ-Society for Health Alternatives based in Vadodara (Gujarat). Renu and some friends started the Women’s Health Advocacy Cell, in the WSRC, MS University in Vadodara in 1992. This evolved into a vibrant interdisciplinary centre called WOHTRAC - Women’s Health Training, Research and Advocacy Centre. Renu was a part of Shodhini a feminist women’s network who wrote Touch Me, Touch Me Not: Women, Plants and Healing published by Kali for Women. She has co-edited Towards Comprehensive women’s Health Policies and Programmes. Renu was an Erasmus Mundus scholar and taught in KIT Amsterdam and QMU Edinburgh in 2008. She has been part of part of a pioneering group in India to design and conduct a 2 week Gender and Health Course as well as a Gendered Research in Health Course in two locations in the country. She is a member of several pro-peoples’ networks, like, the Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, Medico Friends Circle, People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Vadodara and CommonHealth – Coalition for Maternal-Neonatal Health and Safe Abortion.
Policy Advisor of Aksi! for gender, social and ecological justice, Indonesia Since more than three decades Soentoro has been active in women’, environmental and social movements in Indonesia and Asia in the context of development and recently climate change financing. Soentoro advocates for gender considerations, participation, transparency, accountability and safeguards into policy draftings and reviews of the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) particularly Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank, and Green Climate Fund (GCF); critically monitors Clean Technology Fund (CTF) particularly its support to geothermal power development, Forest Investment Program (FIP), ASEAN Economic Community and the ASEAN Infrastructure Fund. Moreover, she assists IFI’s affected communities on safeguards, information disclosure, accountability mechanism and gender for defending their rights. She shares knowledge and skill for Indonesian and Mekong region women’s activists on development and climate financing as well as for various international trainings, including those organized by Banktrack, GenderCCWomen for Climate Change, APWLD, IWRAW and Southeast Asian Women’s Caucus on ASEAN. Soentoro is native Bahasa Indonesia; speaks English and German. As her cultural interests and recreation, Soentoro studies Buddhist wisdoms; exercises Vipassana meditation, yoga, and tai chi; and is also a serious amateur photographer.
Otgonbaatar Tsedendemberel is the former Executive Director of the LGBT Centre of Mongolia, where he helped lead the country’s LGBT rights movement, and successfully advocated for LGBT rights internationally and domestically. Before partnering with MONFEMNET National Network on gender equality and social justice, Otgonbaatar worked for the Mongolian Red Cross Society and the International Committee of the Red Cross, where he translated international humanitarian law into the Mongolian language and helped incorporate it into the national curriculum. As an instructor at the Educational Advising and Resource Center, he educated Mongolian students aspiring to study abroad. Otgonbaatar has been actively involved with advocacy on SRHR at the national level. He held board memberships with ILGA- Asia; MONFEMNET National Network; and “All For Education!” National Coalition of Civil Society. He is Board Member of Mongolian organizations - Open Society Forum; Youth Policy Watch; and DemoCrazy Youth Center. In 2011, UNAIDS Mongolia and the Ministry of Health awarded him the Bakharkhaliin (Pride) Award (individual category) for his HIV and AIDS work. Otgonbaatar received the Monbukagakusho Scholarship from the Japanese government, and earned an LLB in civil law from the University of Tokyo.
