Nila Ibrahimi’s story reflects both the challenges and resilience of young people working for peace and human rights in crisis settings. After the Taliban takeover in 2021, she and her family fled Afghanistan due to the risks she faced as a prominent youth rights advocate. Known internationally for leading a successful campaign as a teenager to overturn a ban on Afghan girls singing in public, she now lives in Canada, where she continues her activism by founding HerStory, an organization dedicated to documenting the experiences of Afghan girls inside the country and across the diaspora.
Speaking to UN News, Ms. Ibrahimi described the emotional weight of amplifying the voices of girls who are currently denied access to education under Taliban rule. While she was able to complete her own schooling, many of her peers remain unable to progress beyond lower grades. She emphasized that even reaching one person through advocacy makes the effort worthwhile, underscoring the personal commitment driving her work.
Ms. Ibrahimi was among the speakers at a UN event held on 15 December to mark the tenth anniversary of Security Council Resolution 2250, which formally recognizes young people as essential partners in advancing international peace and security. With nearly half of the world’s population under the age of 30, the resolution addresses the gap between young people’s stake in global stability and their frequent exclusion from decision-making spaces.
Since the resolution’s adoption, the UN and its partners have supported a range of initiatives aimed at translating its principles into action. Several countries across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and the Americas have developed national and local Youth, Peace and Security action plans, while regional bodies such as the African Union have advanced continent-wide dialogues to strengthen youth participation in peacebuilding. Afghanistan, however, remains excluded from these efforts under Taliban rule.
Despite these challenges, Ms. Ibrahimi expressed a sense of solidarity and learning from engaging with youth leaders from diverse contexts. She highlighted the value of exchanging strategies for youth empowerment and the importance of collective action in sustaining advocacy, particularly for women and girls facing repression.
The anniversary events concluded with a Peace Circle, bringing together young leaders, UN officials, diplomats, and academics in an informal dialogue format designed to amplify youth perspectives on peace-related issues. These discussions form part of the UN’s Act Now for Peace campaign, which runs until 2026 and aims to ensure that youth voices directly inform future UN initiatives, including global research and policy development on youth contributions to peace.
