Payal Shah has been with the Center for Reproductive Rights since 2008, where she is currently serving as the Acting Regional Director for Asia. Her work focuses on issues pertaining to maternal health, abortion, contraceptive information and services, and bodily autonomy. While at the Center, Payal has managed advocacy and litigation initiatives across South and Southeast Asia and before the U.N. that have strengthened respect and accountability for women’s and girls’ reproductive rights. Payal has played a leading role in inception and development of the South Asia Reproductive Justice and Accountability Initiative (SARJAI), the first network of advocates seeking law reform to ensure reproductive rights in region. Through this initiative, Payal has supported the development of litigation strategies in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. Prior to the Center, Payal has worked with human rights and women’s rights organizations in China, the U.S., Nepal, and India. She is a graduate of Columbia Law School and in 2018 was named a practitioner-in-residence with Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute.