Farida Akhter is the Founding Executive Director of UBINIG, a Bangladeshi policy research organization established in 1984. For four decades she has led research in the fields of women's health, food and agriculture, fisheries (marine), handloom industries, garment industries, population dynamics and other related development topics. As Convenor of the Anti-Tobacco Women’s Alliance active in over 30 districts and member of various international networks she has become a prominent leader on women's issues in South Asia. She contributed directly to the development of SAS2 Dialogue participatory action research methods in the context of tobacco farming and on other related topics.