The backsliding of women’s rights in Afghanistan remains a significant concern for gender equality in the region. Through this edition, we aim to highlight a once-progressing state where women were making history by entering public spaces and demonstrating leadership—many of whom continue to advocate for a gender-equal Afghanistan today.
Our fifth edition of the 2024 Beyond Victims Series brings you stories of inspiring women political leaders from Afghanistan.
Dive in to read stories of Ambassador Adela Raz, Azra Jafari, Fatima Gailani, and Roya Rahmani from Afghanistan.
Ambassador Adela Raz
Currently serving as the Director at the Afghanistan Policy Lab, Raz was the first woman in Afghanistan to serve as an Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the U.N. She also served as VP, 75th session of the General Assembly and was appointed as the coordinator for UNGA’s COVID-19 initiatives.
Azra Jafari
Afghanistan's first woman mayor in Daikundi Province, serving from December 2008 to January 2014. A social activist at 17, she founded a non-profit school for Afghan refugees in Iran. As the first female mayor in Afghan history and a member of the Hazara ethnic group, she garnered both national and international attention.
– Newsweek
Fatima Gailani
She is a political leader and women's rights activist with over four decades of experience, recognised as one of BBC’s 100 Women of 2021 for her contributions as a senior negotiator during the peace talks. At 26, she became the spokesperson for the Afghan Resistance against the Soviet Union's invasion in 1979.
Roya Rahmani
A human rights advocate before joining the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she was known as a fierce advocate for peace on Afghan terms. This led to her appointment as Afghanistan's first female ambassador to the U.S., following a successful tenure as ambassador to Indonesia and the ASEAN.
–NPR
Project Management: Ragini Puri
Contributors: Nipunika Sachdeva
Edited by: Sugandha
Design: Escandita Tewari
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