Abass Umar Thullah
Abass Umar Thullah is a Sierra Leonean human rights defender, ICESCO Youth Peace Ambassador and Founder and CEO of Advocacy for Human Rights and Justice-Sierra Leone. He previously served as the Regional Outreach Officer at the Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board, from 2016-2023, offering legal advice, assistance and education to over 10,000 individuals, including detainees, LGBTQI+ individuals, and survivors of SGBV. In 2021, Abass established Sierra Leone’s first Transitional Justice Clinic at Ernest Bai Koroma University, funded by ATJLF where he trained 150 human rights defenders. He also led leadership training for 50 youths in peacebuilding, and conflict resolution, supported by UNPBF.
His international engagements include participating in the UN Women Regional Youth Feminist Leadership Forum in Senegal, where he co-created an Adapted Action Strategy focused on youth, peace, and security. He contributed to the “Action Plan of Shusha-Baku Youth for a Sustainable Future” at the ICESCO forum in Azerbaijan and played a key role in drafting a legally binding instrument on business and human rights at the Global Treaty Conference in European Parliament, Brussels. Additionally, he was a Prototype Collaborator in the Democratic Innovation Lab in Colombia, developing solutions for deliberative democracy, etc.