Husna Jalal is the Founder and Chair of the Board of Women for Change International (WfCI) and an exiled Afghan women’s rights activist with more than a decade of experience in nonprofit leadership, project management, advocacy, and civil society.

In Afghanistan, she founded and worked with several nonprofit organizations and contributed to feminist networks and initiatives across South Asia. She played a leading role in the One Billion Rising Campaign, mobilizing thousands of women and men to support the elimination of violence against women.

Following the Taliban takeover in 2021, Jalal was evacuated to the Netherlands, where she founded the Young Afghan Women’s Movement (YAWM), a digital platform providing Afghan women with mentorship, educational opportunities, and a space for collaboration. Her work earned her the 2025 International Women’s Rights Award from the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy.

Jalal was also selected as an Obama Foundation Leader, representing the Netherlands alongside leaders from around the world. She has advocated for Afghan women’s rights at international platforms including the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Austrian Parliament, and the Clingendael Institute. She has also lectured at Leiden University and the University of Groningen and participated in advocacy events across 15 cities in the Netherlands.

Jalal holds a Bachelor’s degree from the JMI University in India and a Master’s degree in International Relations from Leiden University in the Netherlands. She speaks Persian, English, Dutch, Turkish, Pashto, and Hindi/Urdu.