After going into hiding for a while, she now lives in Canada, but she has not left activism behind. From her new home, she started HerStory, an organization dedicated to documenting the experiences of girls both in Afghanistan and in the diaspora.
“I do my best to tell the stories of girls who have been banned from school. I was able to graduate, but my friends are still stuck in ninth grade. It’s emotional work, but I think if it motivates just one person to do something, I think I’ve done enough.”
Active partners in peace
Ms Ibrahimi spoke to UN News at an event held on December 15 to mark the tenth anniversary of Security Council Resolution 2250, which formally recognizes youth as active partners in maintaining and promoting international peace and security.
About half of the people on earth are under the age of 30, making them the generation with the greatest stake in our common future. Nevertheless, they are often excluded from the spaces where solutions to our most intractable problems are shaped.
Since the adoption of the resolution, the UN has supported a large number of initiatives that implement its recommendations. For example theDemocratic Republic of Congo, Gambia and Honduras developed National and local action plans for Youth, Peace and Security (YPS); The African Union held Africa’s first continent-wide dialogue on the YPS, which culminated in the Summary statement; and eleven countries, from Africa to the Middle East, Asia and Europe, have so far adopted YPS action plans aligned with Resolution 2250.
Afghanistan, which is still ruled by the Taliban, is not one of them. However, Ms. Ibrahimi, who often feels like she is plowing a lonely furrow, remains fearless and committed to continuing the fight for women’s rights.
“During the conference, it really struck me that I am in the same room as some people I would never have had the opportunity to meet and get to know about the ways in which they have implemented strategies to empower youth in their countries,” she reflects. “Just being in their presence was a great privilege and an opportunity to not only talk about my own story and lift up the voices of Afghan women, but also to learn from others.”
Take action now for peace
The events of December 15 culminated in a Peace Circle, with Ms Ibrahimi, several other young leaders and senior UN officials, diplomats and academics. Peace Circles was created from a major UN initiativeas part of the flagship Act Now campaign. They are informal dialogues on topics related to peace, which can range from topics as broad as education, gender equality, climate and technology. At least half of the participants must be under 30 years old, with an emphasis on young people who are often left out of the table and new to UN spaces.
The Act Now for Peace campaign runs until September 2026, and the Peace Circles discussions will contribute directly to a number of UN projects, including the UN Secretary-General’s Independent Study on Young People’s Contributions to Peace, and a Global Youth Peace Manifesto.
Find detailed information about setting up a Peace Circle here.
#celebrating #years #progress #youth #peace #security #agenda