Rita M. Lopidia is a Co-founder and the Executive Director Eve Organization for Women Development, South Sudan and Uganda. She has more than ten years’ experience in gender, women, peace and security in Sudan and South Sudan. A vocal human rights and peace activist, Rita organized women activists to demand for women and civil society participation in the IGAD led South Sudan Peace talks in Addis Ababa 2014 -2015 as well as the High-Level Revitalization Process 2017-2018. She was a delegate in both processes and a signatory to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution for the conflict in South Sudan – R-ARCSS. Rita has extensively worked with IDPs in Juba, Unity, Upper Nile and Jongolei and is currently engaged with South Sudanese Refugees in Uganda. Rita has addressed the UNSC on several occasions on the situation of Women, Peace and Security in South Sudan. She was nominated for the Post of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association in 2018. She is a recipient of the CELD Global Women Leadership Award in 2017, the inaugural “Distinguished Partners for Women, Peace and Security Award” for 2019 and the USIP inaugural women building peace award. A Rotary Peace Fellow, she holds an Honors Degree in Applied and Industrial Science from the University of Juba, and Master’s Degrees in Human Resources Management and in International Politics and Security Studies from the University of Bradford.