Esther Soma is an experienced Policy and Gender professional with a demonstrated history of working in the United Nations and in civil society networks. Prior to pursuing her Master’s in Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford. Esther worked for 4 years at UN Women South Sudan with her most recent role as Program Specialist, Women, Peace and Security (WPS).

Before UN Women, Esther supported South Sudanese women’s engagement in the 2018 peace process which led to the signing of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan. As a member of the technical support team, Esther facilitated strategy meetings and provided technical expertise to the women delegates ensuring gender mainstreaming in their proposals. She authored the research report “Our Search for Peace: Women in South Sudan’s National Peace Processes 2005-2018” jointly published by Oxfam and UN Women in January 2021.

Esther earned a B.A. in Global Affairs from Yale University (2016), and a Master of Public Policy (with Distinction) from the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford (2021).