Murwarid Ziayee

Murwarid Ziayee (@Murwarid) is an Afghan women’s rights and peace activist with a passion for the power of education to change lives. She is deeply connected to women activists in Afghanistan and devoted to amplifying their voices around the world on the need for meaningful participation in establishing and building peace in Afghanistan. She is outspoken about the need to guard against bargaining the rights of women and girls away in the peace process.

She has been Senior Director of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (@CW4WAfghan) since moving to Canada in 2018 after managing the charity’s country office in Kabul for seven years. CW4WAfghan was founded in 1998 to advance education and educational opportunities for Afghan girls, women, and their families and to educate Canadians about human rights in Afghanistan. Based in Calgary, Alberta its four main program areas are investments in basic education; community libraries, literacy, and books; technology for education; and public engagement.

Murwarid previously worked as a National Gender Affairs Officer and National Human Rights Officer at the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, a political UN mission established at the request of the Government of Afghanistan to help lay the foundations for sustainable peace and development. She has worked closely with the Afghan Ministry of Women’s Affairs and served in the Office of the President as Program Officer with a focus on analysis of women’s rights.

She serves on the board of directors of the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation, a network of civil society organizations and individuals working locally and globally to advance sustainable development and global citizenship. Murwarid has a BA in Political Science and Law from Kabul University. She received the CW4WAfghan Champion for Education Award in 2015, in recognition of her many achievements, her dedication, knowledge and passion for advancing education for Afghan women and girls.