Elham Youssefian

Elham Youssefian is a blind, distinguished Iranian‑American human rights lawyer, disability rights advocate, and global policy expert whose work focuses on ensuring inclusive humanitarian action, disaster risk reduction, and climate justice for people with disabilities. Born and raised in Iran, Youssefian pursued her education in international law and human rights, earning a Master’s degree in Human Rights Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a PhD in International Law from Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran. Early in her career, she practiced criminal and family law in Iran and led efforts to document violations of disability rights, advocating for the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by the Iranian government. She also worked as a protection officer with the Danish Refugee Council, serving Afghan refugees before relocating to the United States in 2015.

In November 2019, Youssefian joined the Secretariat of the International Disability Alliance (IDA) as the Inclusive Humanitarian Action and Disaster Risk Reduction Advisor, where she provided strategic leadership, technical expertise, and global coordination to promote disability‑inclusive humanitarian and disaster policies. In this role, she co‑chaired the Reference Group on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action and supported IDA’s advocacy on COVID‑19 emergency response, forced displacement, and climate action.

In 2024, Youssefian became Director of Disability Inclusion and Accessibility at the International Refugee Assistance Project, leading efforts to integrate accessibility and inclusion across refugee protection and humanitarian advocacy frameworks. She has spoken at United Nations events, including COP27 and COP28, highlighting the disproportionate impact of climate change on persons with disabilities and advocating for their meaningful inclusion in climate policy. Her work earned her recognition as one of BBC’s 100 Women in 2023 for her leadership in climate and disability rights.

Based in New York, Youssefian continues to influence global humanitarian, refugee, and climate agendas through policy leadership, coalition building, and advocacy for disability inclusive systems at the intersection of human rights and crisis response.