Ms. Hoda El-Bakr was appointed Secretary-General of the Arab Council for Childhood and Development (ACCD) on 1 March 2026 and currently leads ACCD’s efforts to advance child rights and development across the Arab region. In this capacity, she oversees the design and implementation of ACCD’s regional programs and initiatives, while strengthening cooperation and partnerships with Arab and international institutions working in the fields of development policy and capacity-building.
Prior to her appointment, Ms. El-Bakr served as Deputy Secretary-General of ACCD since June 2025, contributing to the advancement of its programs and regional initiatives. She also served as Executive Director of the Arab Network for NGOs since 2019, where she led efforts to strengthen the role of civil society organizations in sustainable development, foster regional partnerships, and support policy dialogue across the Arab region.
Over the course of her career, Ms. El-Bakr has contributed to the launch and management of a number of regional initiatives and platforms focused on sustainable development and climate action. These include the Arab Forum for Land and Climate, the “Green in Arabic” platform, the Arab Climate Adaptation Lab, and the Arab Sustainable Development Blog. She has also participated in several sessions of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, contributing as both a speaker and participant in discussions on climate policy and sustainable development.
She has been actively engaged in a range of regional initiatives and dialogues aimed at strengthening the role of civil society in development policymaking. These include contributing to the recommendations of the Fifth Arab Civil Society and Youth Forum on Food Security, as well as participating in the Regional Meeting of Civil Society Organizations on Sustainable Development and the First Regional Meeting of Arab Social Development Banks and Institutions. She also took part in the launch of Egypt’s Integrated Electronic System for Regulating Civil Society Work.
Ms. El-Bakr has also contributed to initiatives focused on women’s empowerment and economic inclusion. She has participated in the Arab Network for Gender Equality (ANGED), the NGO Forum of the National Council for Women in Egypt, and the Steering Committee of the Economic Empowerment and Financial Inclusion Project for Women Heads of Households. In addition, she participated in the Fourth Arab Forum for Women with Disabilities and contributed to the launch of capacity-building programs for cooperatives in the Marrakech–Safi region of Morocco.
In the context of strengthening regional and international partnerships, she has participated in consultation dialogues organized by the EuroMeSCo network on the New Pact for the Mediterranean, and has contributed to enhancing cooperation and networking among civil society organizations across the Arab region.
Ms. El-Bakr holds a degree in Political Science from Cairo University. She began her career in research and public policy, working as a researcher at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, and later at the Arab Organization for Combating Discrimination. She has authored a number of studies and articles on social and development policy issues, including publications in Afaq Ijtima‘iyya (Social Horizons), issued by the Information and Decision Support Center of the Egyptian Cabinet.
She is also a member of several professional committees and bodies, including serving on the Jury Committee of the Excellence Award for Civil Society Organizations and the Misr El Kheir Foundation Award for Sustainable Development for several editions. She is also a member of the NGO Forum of the National Council for Women, the Arab Network for Gender Equality, and the Steering Committee of the Economic Empowerment Project for Women Heads of Households in Sudan.
