Zarifa Ghafari is an award-winning leader, activist, and public servant with extensive experience in governance, women’s empowerment, and media. She served as Mayor of Maidan Wardag Province from 2018 to 2021, becoming one of Afghanistan’s youngest female mayors, and later directed national programs supporting families of war victims. Zarifa is the founder of Peghla Radio, a platform amplifying women’s voices, and the Assistance and Promotion for Afghan Women (APAW), a nonprofit advancing education, rights, and economic opportunities for women and children.

Her leadership has been recognized globally with honors such as the U.S. International Women of Courage Award, BBC 100 Women, TIME Next Generation Leader, UN Women Rights Award, and multiple Nobel Peace Prize nominations. She is also the author of ZARIFA: A Woman’s Battle in a Man’s World, published in eight languages, and her story is featured in the Netflix documentary In Her Hands. Zarifa holds an MPA from Cornell University and a Master’s degree from Punjab University.