KABUL – Girls’ rights advocate Nila Ebrahimi has been named among the 17 United Nations Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2025, in recognition of her work to promote education and equality.
Ebrahimi, an 18-year-old originally from Afghanistan and now based in Canada, is the co-founder and director of the organization Her Story.
The UN Youth Office said the 17 young leaders were selected from a pool of 33,000 applicants representing 150 countries. The cohort, aged between 16 and 33, includes founders, social mobilizers, peacebuilders, entrepreneurs, and creative innovators working to advance sustainable development worldwide.
According to the UN, the selected leaders will focus on key areas such as gender equality, human rights, climate change, and global peace and security.
Felipe Paullier, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, called the group a “powerful testament to the courage, creativity, and commitment of young people driving real change in every corner of the world.”
“At a time of deep division and uncertainty, they embody the very spirit of the United Nations: unity, action, and hope for a better tomorrow,” he said.
Last year, Ebrahimi received the International Children’s Peace Prize from the KidsRights Foundation for her activism.
