Wafa Ben-Hassine is a tech and human rights lawyer who has dedicated her career to navigating the intersection of technology, policy, and human rights. As a Director on the Responsible Technology team at Omidyar Network, she leads the organization's vision and portfolio on Digital Trust and Safety, while also contributing to the work of the Generative AI team.
Prior to joining Omidyar Network, Wafa worked at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law. She previously served as the Middle East and North Africa Policy Manager and Global Policy Counsel for Access Now, a global non-profit organization defending human rights online. Her contributions extended to consulting roles with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UNESCO.
A Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Wafa holds leadership roles in various initiatives focused on the societal impact of emerging technologies. She served as co-chair of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council (GFC) on Human Rights and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and as a member of the GFC on Data Policy. Her other engagements include serving as a Board member of the Integrity Institute and on the Partnership on Artificial Intelligence's Safety-Critical AI Steering Committee, among others.
Wafa's international human rights experience spans multiple regions, including serving as Tunisia's first-ever legislative aide in the national Constituent Assembly, and working in the Appeals Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in The Hague.
Wafa holds a JD from the University of Denver's Sturm College of Law and a BA in political science with a focus on public law from the University of California, San Diego, where she served as student body president. Wafa is licensed to practice law in New York and currently resides in Washington, D.C.