Hajer Sharief

She was the recipient of the Student Peace Prize in 2017. Sharief is one of UN Women’s 12 Champions on Women, Peace and Security and Human Rights and a member of The Kofi Annan Foundation’s Extremely Together Young Leaders.

She was named one of Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women by Forbes in 2020 and included among Avance Media’s 100 Most Influential African Women the same year.

In 2013, through Together We Build It, Sharief co-initiated and co-led the 1325 Network, which convened civil society organizations and activists from different regions of Libya to promote and strengthen women’s role in formal and informal peace and security initiatives.

In 2013, through Together We Build It, Sharief co-initiated and co-led the 1325 Network, which convened civil society organizations and activists from different regions of Libya to promote and strengthen women’s role in formal and informal peace and security initiatives.

As a member of the Kofi Annan Foundation’s Extremely Together program, Sharief works alongside ten fellow activists to build peace and prevent violent extremism globally. The group developed the first peer-to-peer guide on countering and preventing violent extremism, for which Sharief authored the chapter on human rights and young people.

Sharief joined the United Network of Young Peacebuilders advocacy team to persuade the United Nations Security Council to adopt a resolution recognizing the vital role of youth in peacebuilding and conflict mediation. In 2016, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon appointed Sharief expert advisor to the UN’s the first youth peace and security progress study. Sharief went on to brief the UN on their youth peace and security agenda during the 2017 General Assembly.

In 2018, Sharief became the first Libyan woman to brief the UN Security Council during a country session on Libya. In her briefing, she advised the Council and the UN mission to Libya on ways to ensure the inclusion of women and young people the UN’s formal peace processes.

In her capacity as a Champion of Women for the UN, she advises on emerging issues for peace and security, and advocates for gender equality and women’s human rights in conflict-affected settings.

Sharief has delivered several keynote speeches on peace and security and human rights, including “What Do I Do For a Living? I’m a Full-Time War Survivor” and “As a Full-time War Survivor, What is Missing in Conflict Zones?”. Her 2020 Torino Peace Forum address, entitled “Intergenerational Peace: The Need to Redesign the Peace Table,” called on global leaders and institutions to reform the structures and systems of peace and security to integrate the full contributions of women and young people.

Alongside her activism for peace and human rights, Hajer is an advocate for political participation. Her 2019 TED Talk argued that parents should teach their children about political agency by giving them a say in how their households are run. The talk has been viewed 3.4 million times.

In an interview with Forbes India, Hajer argued that “politics should be the lifestyle of every single person”. In the same interview, Hajer stated “The political systems, especially with the recent wave of polarization, seem to be focused on pitting one group or community against another. People are pushed into corners where they need to take sides. That’s where one must prioritize moral values.”

Awards and Recognitions

Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, 2021.
Student Peace Prize, 2017.
Forbes 50 Most Powerful Women in Africa, 2020.
Avance Media’s 100 Most Influential African Women, 2020.