Samira Rafaela

Samira Rafaela is a non-resident senior adviser with the Human Rights Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She served as a member of the European Parliament from 2019 to 2024, and was the first elected Dutch member of the European Parliament with Afro-Caribbean heritage. Within the European Parliament, Samira was a member of the Committee on International Trade, the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality, the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, and the Committee on Human Rights. She was the lead negotiator for the EU forced labor ban and served as rapporteur on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. As standing rapporteur for the trade agreement with Chile, she effectively advocated for the first dedicated EU gender and trade chapter. She was also the lead negotiator for the EU pay transparency agreement. Before joining the European Parliament, she worked at the Netherlands Police in the commissioner’s staff. Samira was a 2024–2025 non-resident visiting fellow at the Cornell University Global Labor Institute. In 2020, Samira was awarded the Harper's Bazaar International Woman of the Year Award and was selected as one of Politico Europe’s 20 members of the European Parliament to watch for her contribution to making trade greener and fairer. In 2024, the Member of the European Parliament Influence Index named Samira one of the most influential members for trade and social policies. Samira studied public administration at Leiden University and holds a master’s degree in crisis and security management.