Shukria Barakzai

Shukria Barakzai is an Afghan politician, diplomat, journalist, and global advocate for women’s rights and justice. She served as a Member of the Afghan Parliament from 2005 to 2016

and as Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Norway from 2016 to 2019. As one of the key drafters of Afghanistan’s 2004 Constitution, she has played a historic role in advancing women’s participation and constitutional democracy.

She is the Founder and President of Action for Justice (A4J) and the Afghan Women’s Coalition for Justice (AWCJ), leading global advocacy to codify gender apartheid and strengthen accountability for crimes against Afghan women.

Barakzai has received numerous international recognitions, including BBC Woman of the Year (2005), International Editor of the Year by the World Press Organisation (2004), Human Rights Champion (Florence, Italy) 2007  and Outstanding Global Thinker (Foreign Policy, 2015).

She continues to speak globally on justice, democracy, and women’s empowerment.