Mevan Babakar

Mevan, pronounced “me” + “van”, is a social entrepreneur, and writer. She is the News and Information Credibility Lead at Google, working to tackle misinformation globally, and to support journalists.

Born in Baghdad to Kurdish parents her family fled Saddam’s genocide of the Kurds in the early 90s. Mevan was featured in the New York Times when she took a two-month sabbatical in 2019 to retrace the steps she took as a child refugee. She made headlines around the world when she found and thanked the aid worker who had helped her 24 years ago. He had left a big impression when he had generously helped her family and gifted her a bike when she was a child. In May 2024 this story will be published by HarperCollins as a children’s book.

Mevan now serves as trustee for the UK for UNHCR, the UK arm of the UN refugee agency, which helps protect refugees around the world.

Her first book, THE BICYCLE, is published by BalzerBray, June 2024.