2025
Lift Off Fellows
Women Have Wings and NGO CSW/NY’s are thrilled to announce the second cohort of Global Youth Fellows for Gender Equality. This group of 15 young leaders have been chosen for their dedication to gender equality, the diversity of experience that they bring to the UN, and their ability to inspire others.
Mursalina Amin
Girls Toward Leadership
Afghanistan
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Mursalina Amin is a dedicated leader and researcher with a strong focus on youth and women's empowerment. As the Founder and President of Girls Toward Leadership (G2L), she has led numerous initiatives to empower Afghan girls through leadership programs, STEM education, and community outreach. Mursalina is passionate about creating opportunities for underserved communities and has represented Afghan girls at international forums, including the United Nations. There, she has contributed as a speaker, panelist, and moderator, discussing critical issues facing Afghan women. With her extensive experience in girls' empowerment, she skillfully blends leadership with a commitment to effecting meaningful change. Currently a senior at the University of Tulsa, Mursalina is dedicated to furthering her expertise in international advocacy and making a significant global impact.
Prince Frimpong
Youth Initiative Foundation
Ghana
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Prince Frimpong (They/Them) is a genderqueer Ghanaian, a communications specialist, and an LGBTQIA+ youth activist with over three years of experience in leveraging visual storytelling to create sustainable change for marginalized communities, particularly women and youth.
They are currently the co-founder and Executive Director for the Youth Initiative Foundation and an alumnus of the YALI West Africa Training program with expertise in civic leadership. In his current role at their organization, they are spearheading the Community Mapping and Resource Allocation Project designed to use data and technology to comprehensively map the needs and resources available to young sexual and gender minorities (LGBTQIA+) in Ghana and across all 16 regions.
They have also worked on the Shaping Minds Initiative, which empowered the Ghanaian LGBTQIA+ communities with entrepreneurial skills to achieve economic sustainability. When not creating change, Prince finds queer joy through facilitating safe spaces where diverse LGBTQIA+ individuals come together to connect, learn, share knowledge, and affirm their identities.
Their long-term goals are to delegate, empower, and impact young LGBTQIA+ individuals to lead the change and fight for a world that is born-free, just, and equal.
Chaïmae Ribani
AWDF
Morocco
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Chaïmae Ribani is an Intersectional Feminist, Human Rights, and Peacebuilding Activist with extensive experience in decolonizing feminism and transforming traditional security paradigms. She is currently a Programme Officer at the African Women's Development Fund (AWDF), where she focuses on advancing Afro-feminism and decolonizing feminist approaches. Her research centers on Feminist Foreign Policy, with a commitment to reshaping security frameworks to prioritize human security. Through her advocacy, Chaïmae actively contributes to the decolonization of both feminism and peacebuilding, advocating for more inclusive and equitable global systems that dismantle colonial legacies and promote justice.
Ayikoru Patience Poni
Austrian Embassy Dev.Cooperation
Uganda
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Ayikoru Patience Poni is a Ugandan lawyer and youth leader with experience in advocating for gender equality, social justice, and effective participation of women and youth in leadership. Currently, she works as a Trainee, Governance at the Austrian Embassy Development Cooperation in Uganda and is a Member of the European Union Youth Sounding Board Uganda where she is also the team leader on the Thematic area of Gender Equality.
Prior to joining the Austrian Embassy Development Cooperation, Patience served as a Membership and Research Officer at the Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA Uganda) where she is also a Member. She is the founder and team leader of a volunteer-based organization called Femme Talk West Nile based in Koboko District, Uganda, an organization that is raising youth voices, advancing gender justice, leadership and mentorship of young people, women and girls in the region. She uses creative advocacy to speak up against Gender Based Violence such as using Chess and Dialogue, influencing Community Dialogues, and Storytelling. In 2021, she opened the first Pad booth in West Nile region supplying free emergency pads to the rural women and girls in a bid to end period poverty in the communities.
Patience has been recognized for her advocacy against gender based violence in West Nile by UN Women Africa and Uganda in 2022, was among the youngest female leaders whose advocacy story was showcased at the Uganda Museum during the Because of Her Foundation annual women’s exhibition in 2024, and has been recognized for her passion for gender equality and leadership in National media of New Vision under Her Vision story 2022 and nominated top 40 under 40 women leaders in Uganda 2021.
Rida Tahir
High Courts of Pakistan
Pakistan
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Rida Tahir is an Advocate of the High Courts of Pakistan with a primary focus on gender and child rights. She has worked with Ipas on the interpretation of Pakistan's abortion laws and organized five consultative meetings to draft interpretative documents for doctors in line with CEDAW, WHO guidelines and the Beijing Platform for Action, etc to increase access to safe abortion services in her country. She has worked with the Government of Sindh in Pakistan to develop a roadmap for the gradual elimination of domestic violence in line with Pakistan’s national and international obligations. She also conducted a mapping of legal aid mechanisms to increase access to justice of the marginalized individuals in her country.
Rida has also developed toolkits and training manuals for increasing the legal literacy of various criminal justice system stakeholders and regularly conducts capacity building training of the police, judges, parliamentarians, healthcare providers and policymakers on the rights of women and children. Rida is passionate about writing and has authored over a hundred publications on the rights of women, children and transgender individuals.Currently, Rida is working on improving the access of victims/survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) to justice through the establishment of Women Police Stations, One-Stop Protection Centres and Shelters Homes as well as the efficient use of survivor-centric mechanisms in the courtrooms of Pakistan.
Hawa Dunor - Varney
WASUDEV
Liberia
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Hawa Dunor - Varney is a Rural Development professional with specialization in Gender and Development. She is the Founder and Director of the Women in Agriculture for Sustainable Development (WASUDEV). An organization working to improve the livelihood of women and girls through agriculture services and other income generating activities in Liberia. Hawa’s vision is to contribute towards ending violence against women and girls using innovative, community driven actions and inclusive approaches. They seek to expand their professional network and support to scale up their work with women and girls.
Antonio García Cazorla
Minority Rights Group Europe
Spain
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Antonio García Cazorla (he/him) is an activist with gender expertise based in Budapest, Hungary. His work has primarily centered on advocating for gender equality from an intersectional perspective, with an emphasis on combating violence against women and gender-based violence.
He holds a master's degree in equality and gender. Currently, Antonio works as the Europe Programmes Assistant at Minority Rights Group Europe, where he advocates for minority rights and integrates a gender perspective into the organization’s initiatives across Europe. He has worked in diverse international organizations, agencies, bodies, and NGOs in Europe and Latin America. Some of his experiences include working with the Council of Europe, UN Women, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), among others.
Antonio has contributed to several international publications and academic presentations on gender issues on a transnational level. Through his work, he aims to impact policies, institutional structures, social frameworks, cultural norms, and public discourse. He advocates for systemic changes in gender dynamics to achieve gender justice, especially focusing on women’s rights protection and empowerment of marginalized communities through intersectional lens.
Aseel Ibrahim
She Leads
Jordan
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Aseel Ibrahim is a youth activist with focus on advocating for education quality, inclusion and accessibility. Currently pursing a Master’s in Audiovisual Translation. Aseel is part of the She Leads project supported by plan international, and works through it on various local and global initiatives in raising awareness for the importance of Girls inclusion in United Nations processes and local decision making spaces, SRHR and mental health. And have been part of plan international delegation for UN Summit of the Future in recognition of her commitment to linking the local youth work and stories to global spaces. She’s an education transformer with UNGEI, and volunteers as an English instructor in refugee camps. Aseel passion towards humanitarian work knows no limits. She aspires to continue working on regional issues regarding wars and conflicts and its socioeconomic impacts on young women and girls’.
Lucia Ixchiu
Festivales Solidarios
Guatemala
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Lucia Ixchiu is a K'iche Mayan woman, artist, cultural manager, singer, community journalist, indigenous feminist and architect. He was born in Totonicapán, Guatemala. Pioneer and creator of work in art and climate crisis and activist since the age of 11 in art and culture work. He became an activist and journalist for the October 4, 2012 massacre at the Alaska Summit, a massacre that the Guatemalan army committed against the indigenous people of Totonicapán, leaders of the student movement. Indigenous coordinator of BILM and coordinator of international advocacy at Solidarity Festivals.
Sudipta Das
queerbeat
India
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Sudipta Das is a South Asian anti-caste, queer-trans writer, gender equity and justice advocate, and communications and policy professional with over eight years of experience. Their work focuses on the intersections of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), queer-trans rights, child rights, and social justice. Sudipta has led efforts to bridge regional, national, and global policy spaces, advocating for equitable, accessible, and quality SRHR services for gender-diverse adolescents and young people. They also served as the regional convenor of a multilateral network of youth health advocates from 10 Southeast Asian countries.
They have spoken at major international forums, including ILGA Asia 2022, the PMNCH Global Forum for Adolescents 2023, and the 7th Asia Pacific Feminist Forum (APFF). Sudipta has co-authored key publications on comprehensive sexuality education, advocacy handbooks, and reflections on UN multilateral processes, working closely with feminists from the Global South.Sudipta is passionate about narrative writing and evidence-based storytelling on themes of caste, queerness, health, gender-based violence (GBV), and culture. Their writing draws deeply from the lived realities of those affected by these issues, offering nuanced insights into social justice. In recognition of their work, they received the SCARF Media for Mental Health Award (2021) for excellence in mental health reporting and were awarded Maveli Nadu’s Non-Fiction Grant (2022) for their contributions to Debrahmanising Gender. In 2023, they earned CREA’s Storytelling Grant for writing on access to therapy for queer individuals from marginalized caste locations in India.
Laura Gutiérrez
Cíclica
Costa Rica
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General Manager and co-founder of Cíclica, Laura Gutiérrez graduated in International Business and Commerce and Contemporary Dance from the National University of Costa Rica. As co-founder of the company Cíclica, she has led strategic planning, operational management and organizational decision-making. Dedicated to innovation in products for women's intimate health, as a key to female empowerment.
Karen Anahí Bailón Menéndez
UNOY
Ecuador
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Karen Bailón (She/Her) is an Ecuadorian advocate for gender equality and climate justice, currently serving as the Focal Point for Girl Up Latam at the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY). She's centered on advocacy efforts across Latin America, focusing on empowering women and youth to champion social change. Karen holds an undergraduate degree in International Relations from Ecotec University, Ecuador.
As the Advocacy Lead for Empodera Clima, Karen works on fostering inclusive climate action, ensuring women's voices are central to sustainable development. She was selected as a Community Engagement Exchange (CEE) Fellow for Ecuador, contributing to programs that equip young girls with essential soft skills like public speaking, leadership, and mentorship to drive community impact. Karen has participated in initiatives like the Climate Justice Camp and COP16, where she focused on intersectional climate solutions and Latin American youth’s role in environmental protection. Her research spotlights the disproportionate impacts of climate change on indigenous women, particularly those from the Ecuadorian Amazon, and the vital role they play as environmental defenders. Her mission is to amplify marginalized voices, advocating for solutions that are equitable and sustainable for all.
Renata Koch Alvarenga
EmpoderaClima
Brazil
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Renata Koch Alvarenga, from Brazil, is a leading voice for gender equality and youth leadership in the global climate movement, having been involved in climate justice spaces for the past 9 years. She founded the youth-led and Brazil-based organization EmpoderaClima at 22 years old, to raise awareness of the need for women’s empowerment in climate decision-making spaces, and advocate for girl’s education and climate action in the Global South – especially in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In 2021, Renata was the first young Brazilian to speak at the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65) opening, alongside the UN Secretary-General. That same year, she was nominated by Malala Yousafzai as a young leader to watch at the UN COP26. She is part of the 2022 class of Environmental Educators 30 Under 30, and she has been on boards, youth councils, and leadership programs of various international organizations, including UN Women, the UN Girls’ Education Initiative, the World Economic Forum, Vital Voices, Bloomberg, and the New York Times. Recently, Renata was awarded the inaugural Emerging Leaders Beautiful Forces grant by Estée Lauder for her innovative and bold work with young women in Brazil.Renata graduated with a Master's in Public Policy from Harvard University, where she researched climate finance and resilience and worked with the Belfer Center for International Relations and the Center for International Development, doing fieldwork in Puerto Rico and Barbados. Renata has professional experience in global climate policy and diplomacy, having worked at the British Mission in Brazil, the United Nations Youth Office, and the World Bank Headquarters.
Lowry Achieng'
Queer Wellness Circle
Kenya
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Lowry Achieng’ is a multi-disciplinary artist, healing justice practitioner and human rights activist. They work primarily in the non-profit and anti-trafficking sectors with experience in organizing collective healing, dreaming and learning spaces and managing a therapy resource centre that fosters accessibility to gender affirming and culturally competent mental health care. They are the Founder at Queer Wellness Circle and healing justice practitioner at Under The Shade Therapy Centre where they have worked on notable Art therapy residencies, Trauma healing workshops, collective care forums and Wellness cafes which have fostered healing, joy and resilience for marginalized communities in Kenya. In 2023, Queer Wellness Circle was awarded Progressive Queer Space of the year. Achieng' is passionate about dignified, reliable and sustainable care, they seek to support communities to remember their capacity for loving practice.
Priye Diri
Dorothy Njemanze Foundation
Nigeria
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Priye Diri is a feminist filmmaker and development expert with experience in Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) response and prevention. Currently, she is the Head of Programs, Productions and Advocacy at the Dorothy Njemanze Foundation in Nigeria, creating programs that drive social change and awareness. She has worked on providing first-response support to over 6,000 women and girls in Nigeria and used art as a means for social change and has been recognised as a 2023 Mandela Washington Fellow and a 2024 Film Independent, Global Media Makers LA Residency Fellow. Passionate about telling compelling stories that challenge conventional images of women's lives, she seeks to advance gender justice and human rights through the intersection of film and advocacy.