Afghans for Progressive Thinking (APT) launched the Afghan Youth Representative to the United Nations (AYR-UN) program in 2018 as a flagship, year-long initiative to amplify the voices of young Afghan women and men in global policy discussions and international affairs.
Following the collapse of the former government and the return of the Taliban, the program sharpened its focus on addressing the deteriorating human rights situation in Afghanistan, particularly the rights of women and girls. It elevates these voices on global platforms and advocates for their fundamental rights, including education, employment, and freedom of expression and movement.
At its core, the program empowers one young Afghan each year to serve as a representative of Afghan youth. The representative brings visibility to the lived realities of Afghan youth, highlights human rights challenges, and calls for increased international support, especially for women and girls.
Since its inception, the program has selected six Afghan youth through a rigorous and transparent process, including four women and two men. These representatives have engaged with major international platforms such as the United Nations Security Council, the European Parliament, the International Criminal Court, UN Women, and other platforms representing voices from both within Afghanistan and the diaspora.
Before participating in these engagements, the Youth Representative consults widely with Afghan youth inside the country and abroad through surveys, discussions, and interviews. These consultations ensure that their contributions to international platforms are informed, representative, and grounded in the experiences of Afghan youth.
Zohra Wandaa was selected as the 6th Afghan Youth Representative to the United Nations for 2026–2027, following a final round in Geneva, Switzerland, alongside three other outstanding finalists – Hosai Ayobi, Mahshid Saber and Hilal Zakhilwal. Mr. Ajmal Ramyar, Executive Director of APT; Dr. Suraya Dalil, Former Minister of Public Health of Afghanistan; and Ms. Atefa Tayeb, Education and Development Policy Specialist and PhD Candidate at Imperial College London, judged the final round in person, joined online by Dr. Homira Rezai, CEO of Education Bridge for Afghanistan, and Ms. Heather Barr, Associate Director of the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch.
Zohra Wandaa is a humanitarian and migration practitioner and researcher, refugee advocate, and former United Nations staff member and journalist in Afghanistan. She holds a Master of Science in Project Management and a Master of Education, with continuing education in Circular and Return Migration Management at the University for Continuing Education Krems of Austria. Her professional experience spans Afghanistan and Germany and includes designing, coordinating and managing emergency response and displacement-related programmes, conducting humanitarian needs assessments, managing education programmes for displaced women and girls, providing Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), and engaging in refugee and human rights advocacy. As a member of the Afghanistan Youth Parliament, she contributed to youth representation and policy dialogue on education, employment, health, social development, gender equality and civic participation. In Germany, she supports refugees and asylum seekers and serves as a member of the Refugee Advisory Board Germany and the Afghanistan Research Unit at the University of Freiburg.
Before delivering her speech at the UN, Aziza will engage in discussions with young men and women both inside Afghanistan and abroad. She will organize online and in-person surveys, as well as interviews and conversations with youth, members of the international community, and policymakers. These engagements—particularly those amplifying youth voices, especially those of women—will shape her speech at the UN and other international platforms.
Her message will amplify the voices of youth, with a focus on women and girls, highlighting the human rights situation in Afghanistan and calling for increased international support—especially for women and girls.
Ms. Akrami carries the hopes of a generation, ready to advocate for access to education, gender equality, and meaningful youth participation on the global stage.
Explore the Afghan Youth Representative to the United Nations Program, an initiative dedicated to ensuring Afghan youth are represented in global conversations. By fostering youth leadership, advocacy, and meaningful engagement, the program amplifies the voices, experiences, and aspirations of young Afghans while promoting their participation in shaping a more inclusive future.
The Afghan Youth Representative to the United Nations (AYR-UN) program thrives on the collaboration support of individuals and organizations who believe in the power of youth leadership. There are many ways to support this initiative:
In 2025 – 2026, through a rigorous competition and selection process, among dozens of applicants, Aziza Akrami won the final round alongside two outstanding finalists and became the Afghan Youth Representative to the UN (AYR-UN). Akrami said: “I am committed to amplifying the voices of Afghan youth and advocating for dignity and equality on the global stage.”
In 2021, through a rigorous competition and selection process, among dozens of applicants, Ahmad Fawad Shahanyar won the final round and became the 2020 Afghan Youth Representative to the UN (AYR-UN). Shahniyar, said: “The youth want peace and I hope that Fawad will convey the messages that he gathers to the world.”
In 2020, through a rigorous competition and selection process among dozens of applicants, Ms. Shkula Zadran won the final round and became the 2020 Afghan Youth Representative to the UN (AYR-UN). Ms. Zadran briefed the security council on December 17th after engaging and meeting with hundreds of youth from across Afghanistan. In her speech, Shkula represented a generation who have been the main victim of this war and spoke of how Afghan youth’s dreams are being buried every day. She called for an end to the brutal war in Afghanistan.
In 2019, through a rigorous competition and selection process, among dozens of applicants, Ms. Aisha Khurram, a student of Kabul University won the nomination and became the 2019 Afghan Youth Representative to the UN (AYR-UN). On December 16, 2020, Ms. Khurram delivered a remarkable speech at the UN Security Council that reflected the will, capabilities, and desires of her generation.
In 2018, through a rigorous competition and selection process among dozens of youth applicants who competed in public speaking events, Ramiz Bakhtiar was select as the First-Ever Afghan Youth Representative to the United Nations (AYR-UN). On September 17, 2018. Ramiz Bakhtiar addressed the United Nations Security Council, whose words were covered by international media.
AISHA KHURRAM
SHKULA ZADRAN
