Afghan Youth Representative to the United Nations

Meet the 2026–2027 finalists

Final round · Candidate biographies

Portrait of Hosai Ayobi

Hosai Ayobi

Hosai Ayobi is an author, researcher, women’s rights advocate, and DAAD scholar...

Portrait of Hosai Ayobi

Hosai Ayobi

Hosai Ayobi is an author, researcher, and women’s rights advocate. Following the fall of Afghanistan in 2021, she left her country, spending years in exile in Iraq completing the manuscript of her book. She holds a law degree from the American University of Afghanistan and is currently a DAAD scholar pursuing a master’s degree in Philosophy, Theology, and Political Science at TU Dortmund University, Germany. Her research focuses on women’s political agency in religious and political environments.

Hosai founded Qatra Nonprofit, an organization dedicated to empowering Afghan women through financial independence and education, and supporting children affected by child labor. Although the project was suspended due to financial sanctions, she remains committed to rebuilding it.

Committed to ensuring young people have a meaningful voice, Hosai seeks to amplify Afghan youth and inspire them to become active changemakers and shape a better future. As a finalist for Afghan Youth Representative to the UN, she hopes to bring Afghan youth perspectives to discussions on women’s rights, peace, human rights, and conflict prevention.

“I stand here today to answer the call of responsibility as a young Afghan. You should too. Let us unify in the face of injustice and be the change.”

Portrait of Mahshid Saber

Mahshid Saber

Mahshid Saber is an Afghan youth advocate focused on girls’ education and youth employment...

Portrait of Mahshid Saber

Mahshid Saber

Mahshid Saber is an Afghan youth advocate based in Porto, Portugal. She studied Political Science and International Relations at Kardan University in Kabul and continued her studies in International Relations and European Studies at Lusófona University in Porto. Her perspective combines her experience as an Afghan woman with academic study in Afghanistan and Europe.

From 2022 to 2023, Mahshid was a Program Intern at the Equality for Peace and Development Organization in Kabul, supporting gender equality and peacebuilding initiatives through project coordination, research, and reporting. She also volunteered with UNICEF Afghanistan’s Qahramanan Youth Network on awareness campaigns and youth mobilization, and with the Abhogan Foundation on community outreach and youth empowerment.

As a finalist for Afghan Youth Representative to the UN, Mahshid aims to expand girls’ access to education and strengthen youth employment and self-reliance. Her priorities include online education with internationally recognized certificates and practical and digital skills training. She seeks to maintain dialogue with Afghan youth so their experiences and priorities inform international discussions and efforts to build sustainable futures.

Portrait of Hilal Zakhilwal

Hilal Zakhilwal

Hilal Zakhilwal studies International Relations at UC Davis and advocates for Afghan girls’ education...

Portrait of Hilal Zakhilwal

Hilal Zakhilwal

Hilal Zakhilwal is an International Relations student at the University of California, Davis. Raised in Kabul, Afghanistan, Hilal grew up amid conflict shaping his understanding of peace and human rights from an early age.

Following the political changes in Afghanistan in 2021, Hilal moved to the United States. He studied Global Studies and earned an Associate Degree at American River College, where he became actively involved in student government and helped lead the Afghan Student Association, creating spaces for Afghan students to connect, organize, and share their experiences. Beyond campus, Hilal volunteered within the Afghan community, supporting newly arrived Afghans who faced language and information barriers and helping them navigate educational opportunities, academic resources, and other aspects of adjusting to life in the United States.

Since 2023, he has volunteered with Let Her Learn, supporting Afghan girls who have been denied their right to education by helping them navigate college and scholarship applications, facilitating online classes and workshops with volunteer tutors, and supporting micro-grant programs that help girls turn business ideas into opportunities for income and greater independence. He also recently launched His Voice for Her Rights, an initiative under Let Her Learn that engages Afghan boys and men, both inside Afghanistan and across the diaspora, as allies in advocating for girls’ education and equal opportunity.

As an Afghan Youth, Hilal hopes to bridge these experiences, amplify the diverse voices of Afghan youth, and advocate for a peaceful, inclusive, and hopeful future for Afghanistan.

Portrait of Zohra Wandaa

Zohra Wandaa

Zohra Wandaa is a humanitarian practitioner, researcher, refugee advocate, and former UN staff member...

Portrait of Zohra Wandaa

Zohra Wandaa

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, coordinating and 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 with government ministries and other stakeholders in Afghanistan.

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, contributing to national and international discussions and research on refugee protection, participation, inclusion, and Afghanistan-related issues.