About

Leyla Bilalova is a journalist and communications professional completing an M.A. in Human Rights Studies at Columbia University, where she was a Davis Fellow in 2025–26. She holds a B.A. in Russian Language and Literature from Lomonosov Moscow State University.

Leyla is a Public Information Intern with UN News in the United Nations Department of Global Communications. There she researches, writes, edits, translates and fact-checks stories on humanitarian and development issues, including climate, displacement, health and children’s rights. She has interviewed experts such as UNHCR’s Andrew Harper on climate-related displacement and develops those conversations into articles. Her graduate research examined civil society and human rights organizations and issues including domestic violence.

At WIIN, Leyla reports and writes human-rights-centered features and short video interviews that center the lived experiences of women, girls, immigrants and underrepresented communities. She works in English and Russian.