The expertise you need most to achieve lasting impact.

 

Originally from Canada, Katie Carlson-Akuno is an international gender and development specialist who has been participating in gender study, activism and programming across diverse contexts for over 23 years. Her work is grounded in a deep commitment to gender-transformative approaches - widely acknowledged as the ‘gold standard’ for promoting durable social equality, enabling women’s economic empowerment, preventing violence and securing sustainable development outcomes. From grassroots initiatives to global programs, Katie brings both strategic insight and heartfelt advocacy to every project she leads.

With over 13 years of hands-on experience working across the African continent, Katie Carlson-Akuno is known for her leadership in advancing gender transformative thinking and practice. She has provided strategic guidance and thought leadership to a wide range of organizations—spanning local and international NGOs, the private sector, UN agencies, governments, academic institutions, and civil society groups—helping them embed gender equality into policies, strategies, research and programs.

Katie’s expertise lies in gender transformative analysis and mainstreaming, as well as designing and facilitating impactful capacity-strengthening initiatives and community gender education programs for both adults and youth. Her work cuts across critical sectors, including agriculture, food security, climate resilience, nutrition, women’s economic empowerment, financial inclusion, gender-based violence prevention, child protection, youth empowerment, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and engaging men and boys in gender equality efforts.

In recent years, she has served as the Regional Gender Advisor for East Africa with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), where she led core gender integration efforts for WFP’s Regional Bureau Nairobi and 10 country offices—including Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Djibouti, and Eritrea. Her broader portfolio of work and research extends to Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa. Katie continues to support WFP as the Gender Transformative Technical Expert for the pan-African ‘Youth in Work’ programme, funded by the Mastercard Foundation.

Katie Carlson-Akuno is a published author and speaker on gender equality, violence prevention and inclusive development. She was lead author of a widely-cited academic study on engaging men and boys for GBV prevention in Rwanda, alongside Dr. Shirley Randell - an award-winning gender and education expert and founder of Rwanda’s Centre for Gender and Development Studies. She has also co-authored published research on the impact and importance of women’s safe spaces in preventing intimate partner violence (IPV) in Rwanda, for the Journal of Social Sciences with Dr. Erin Stern at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, examining the critical role of safe spaces in intimate partner violence (IPV) prevention.

Most recently, Katie led a landmark regional study for WFP, working with UN Women, UNICEF, CGIAR and IGAD, entitled Gender and Water (In)security in Agricultural Production in East Africa, which explores the intersection of gender inequality and water insecurity in agricultural livelihoods within the context of climate change, offering practical guidance for policymakers and development actors.

Katie often shares her expertise at international conferences, media platforms and formal events, where she speaks passionately about gender transformative programming, community resilience and systems change for socioeconomic justice and development.

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Publications

Speaking engagements | Events | Podcasts

‘Engaging Men in Gender-Based Violence Prevention’; global webinar hosted by Abt Global for the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV, Nov 2024

‘Breaking Barriers in the Prevention of Teen Pregnancy’, guest expert, The Bridge Rwanda radio show, 94.3 Royal FM, Kigali, Rwanda

NBCA CLUSA’s Cooperative Impact Virtual Conference
Guest panelist, “Mitigating Impacts: Keeping Members Safe” session in partnership with the U.S. Overseas Cooperative Development Council October 5-9, 2020

‘Domestic Violence under the Covid-19 Lockdown’, guest expert The Bridge Rwanda radio show,
94.3 Royal FM, Kigali, Rwanda

Setting the Record Straight: Men, Violence and Feminist Leadership - Moderator, Community Dialogue event hosted by Paper Crown Rwanda

Girls' Voices, Women's Wisdom: An Evening of Intergenerational Dialogue on Gender Equality in Rwanda - Moderator, Community Dialogue event hosted by Paper Crown Rwanda

‘Performance and Perfection Pressure in Rwandan Culture’; Breaking Silences Podcast, hosted by Dominique Alonga and Aline Joyce

Episode 1 - Katie Carlson: Make Your Own Crown; Meaningful Podcast, hosted by Sofya Bourne

Women, Patriarchy and Culture
Moderator, Women’s Safe Space discussion event hosted by Paper Crown Rwanda and ImagineNation, December 2018, Part of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

Presentations

“Women’s role in achieving a sustainable future: Education, urbanisation, violence and human rights”
31st Triennial Conference of the International Federation of University Women, Istanbul, Turkey
Presentation title: Gender and Development: Working with Men for Gender Equality in Rwanda

 “Women in War and at War”
International Conference, Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK
Presentation title: Gender Equality, the State and Civil Society: A Comparative Case Study of Rwanda and South Africa

Affiliations / Memberships

Paper Crown Rwanda, Founder
Local non-profit organization that works with youth in Rwanda to transform gender norms, foster leadership and create lasting social change.

Society of Gender Professionals, an international association of gender practitioners, academics, and activists dedicated to promoting feminist action and applied research.

Coalition of Feminists for Social Change, an advocacy collective of thought leaders, activists, practitioners and academics working globally to end violence against women and girls.

Feminist Alliance for Rights, a global alliance working to advance gender equality by strengthening national and regional accountability for women’s human rights.

United Nations 58th Annual Commission on the Status of Women
Representative on panel of delegates from Graduate Women International (INGO with ECOSOC consultative status), formerly the International Federation of University Women