1. Nimco Ali is the co-founder and CEO of The Five Foundation, a global partnership to end female genital mutilation.
20 Facts About Nimco Ali
1. 2.
Nimco Ali released her first book in 2019 that contains 42 stories from 152 interviews that Ali collected from women across 14 countries.
3.
Nimco Ali contested a seat in the 2017 general election under the Women's Equality Party.
4.
Nimco Ali was appointed as Independent Government Adviser for Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls in 2020, a post which ended in 2022.
5.
Nimco Ali has four brothers, one of whom, Mohamed, is chair of the Somali Conservatives.
6.
Aged seven, Ali underwent female genital mutilation in Djibouti while on holiday with her family.
7.
Nimco Ali later suffered health complications and had to undergo reconstructive surgery.
8.
Nimco Ali co-founded The Five Foundation, "The Global Partnership to End FGM", with Brendan Wynne in 2019.
9.
Nimco Ali served as a women's rights activist and an independent training consultant for a number of years.
10.
Additionally, Nimco Ali served as a Network Coordinator for The Girl Generation.
11.
The book contained 42 stories from 152 interviews that Nimco Ali had undertaken with women across 14 countries.
12.
Nimco Ali was a direct appointment to the role, which, as is common with such roles, was not advertised.
13.
The report, with forewords from Priti Patel and from Nimco Ali, was published in July 2021.
14.
Nimco Ali expressed her hope that the strategy would be a foundation to improve safety for women and girls through education and legislation, but that "whole system" change would be required to reduce violence.
15.
In December 2022 Nimco Ali said she does not want to serve under new Conservative Home Secretary Suella Braverman and was on a "completely different planet" to Braverman on women's rights and ethnic minorities.
16.
At the 2017 general election, Nimco Ali contested the seat of Hornsey and Wood Green in North London for the Women's Equality Party.
17.
Nimco Ali polled 551 votes, finishing in 5th place out of the 8 candidates that stood and losing her election deposit.
18.
Nimco Ali is godmother to the son of Boris Johnson, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, and his wife Carrie Johnson.
19.
Nimco Ali endorsed Johnson, who she has referred to as a "real feminist", in the 2019 Conservative leadership election.
20.
Nimco Ali was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to tackling female genital mutilation and gender inequality.