Among the many pressing challenges of our time, one that demands greater attention is the global fight for women’s rights. Despite decades of progress that have enabled women and girls to secure access to education, healthcare, employment, and political representation, significant barriers to the full realization of their human rights persist. Alarmingly, political forces worldwide are fueling a backlash against these hard-won gains. Nowhere is this more evident than in Afghanistan, where the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 has ushered in some of the most egregious violations of women’s rights seen in modern history.

The unique and indispensable contributions of women to economic development, community welfare, and peace-building make this regression a profound threat to global stability. Recognizing the gravity of this crisis, the United Nations Secretary-General has called gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls “the unfinished business of our time” and the greatest human rights challenge facing the world today.

Joining the conversation to address this urgent issue, as well as to shed light on efforts to safeguard women’s rights globally and in her home country of Afghanistan, is Ambassador Roya Rahmani. Ambassador Rahmani has been a trailblazer for women in leadership, serving as Afghanistan’s first female ambassador to the United States from 2018 to 2021 and as Afghanistan’s ambassador to Indonesia from 2016 to 2018. Currently, she serves as the chair of Delphos International LTD, a global financial advisory firm headquartered in Washington, DC, and a senior advisor at the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center. Ambassador Rahmani holds a bachelor’s degree in software engineering from McGill University and a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University. She has also served as a distinguished fellow at Georgetown University’s Global Institute for Women, Peace and Security from 2021-2023.