Women Leading Peace founder Zakira Rasooli speaks at the UN General Assembly: "We Are Not Asking for Permission"

September 25, 2025, United Nations General Assembly

Zakira Rasooli, Founder and Executive Director of Women Leading Peace, was invited to speak at the UN General Assembly on the 30th anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth. She opens with her own story of watching her dreams collapse on August 15, 2021, the day Afghanistan was handed to the Taliban without the consent of its people. Drawing connections between Afghan women and young people facing exclusion and violence across the world, she delivers a direct challenge to world leaders to build a just and equal world with youth, not on their backs.