Jena Karim has been a civil society and democracy practitioner for 20 years, working in and on access to democratic processes, rule of law and non-state justice, national and sub-state governance in fragile and conflict affected states. She has led and worked on access to justice for marginalized groups, including women, racial and ethnic minorities; civil society development for policy and legislative advocacy; electoral observation, administration, and reform; pluralism and social cohesion; fraud mitigation; constitutional and human rights law; civic engagement and education.
She has worked in and on Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, Sudan, Tajikistan, and other contexts in transition. Jena holds an LL.M in Constitutional Law from York University, an M.A. in Islamic Studies from McGill University, and a B.A. in Politics from Oberlin College. She published a book on Islam and Pakistan, entitled Polarization of Political Culture: Islam and Pakistan 1958-1988. Jena frequently writes and presents on civil society, rule of law, inclusive governance, and political transition for academic, practitioner, and policy audiences, including the International Political Science Association (IPSA), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Law at the University of London, with a focus on constitutional equality rights.