Shaharzad Akbar
Shaharzad Akbar is the Executive Director of Rawadari, an Afghan civil society organization focused on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, including those of women, girls and marginalized groups. Shaharzad, currently in exile, is a human rights activist and the former Chairperson of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. Shaharzad has advocated for the human rights of Afghans, a dignified and just peace and accountability for gross violations at the international level. In addition to leading Rawadari, Shaharzad is currently a Visiting Scholar with Wolfson College, University of Oxford. Shaharzad's writing has appeared in Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, Al Jazeera and other international outlets.
We—the majority of Afghans—want an equal, peaceful and prosperous country. We want a country that is not at war with its women and girls. We want a country that embraces its rich ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity. And we want a country that respects the human rights of all Afghans... The choice before you is—will you support our vision of a peaceful, equal, diverse, democratic Afghanistan, or the Taliban’s vision, one that violates the UN Charter, and the fundamental values that this Council claims to uphold?
At the Security Council
Shaharzad Akbar, Executive Director of Rawadari, was invited to provide a civil society perspective and recommendations when the Security Council met to discuss the situation in Afghanistan in December 2023.