Alicia Herbert has a long international career in which she has defended and promoted human rights, particularly those of women and girls. In her current dual role as the United Kingdom’s Gender Envoy and Director of Education, Gender and Equality, she steered the development of the United Kingdom’s 2023 – 2030 Women and Girls Strategy which sits at the heart of her government’s diplomatic and development efforts.
Ending Gender Based Violence is a core element of the Strategy. Alicia played a leading role in the United Kingdom’s ratification of the Istanbul Convention – a significant manifestation of the United Kingdom’s commitment to end gender-based violence. She is at the forefront of global efforts, working with likeminded counterparts, to counter the rollback of women’s rights. She also plays an active role in the advancement of LGBTQ+ and disability rights. She has steered strategy development and implementation in these areas of work at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
Alicia was born in Trinidad and Tobago. She holds an undergraduate Economics degree from the University of Western Ontaria in Canada and came to the United Kingdom on scholarship 30 years ago where she completed her graduate studies. She holds post graduate degrees from the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics. She has lived and worked in Trinidad and Tobago (national Government), US (World Bank) , Nigeria, Sudan and Mozambique (Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office), and has travelled extensively.
The project “75 women in 75 years of Council of Europe history” is organised by the Delegation of the European Union to the Council of Europe with the Council of Europe and the Permanent Representations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
