Centre for Youth and International Studies (CYIS) - Podcasts CYIS Podcasts

Metra Mehran is a young social entrepreneur with a particular interest in women’s empowerment and education. She is a Fulbright scholar, currently working with Women Scholarship Endowment Program- provides scholarships for women to pursues their education in STEM majors. She is also a fellow with the National Center for Dialogue and Peace, where she is focused on encouraging intergenerational exchange and uniting different points of view (urban and rural, young and old) for sustainable peace.

She co-founded the Feminine Perspectives Movement ahead of Intra-Afghan peace negotiations. The aim is to provide a platform for women across Afghanistan to raise their voice for the protection of their fundamental rights and to ensure women’s perspectives are reflected in peace negotiation processes.

A leading voice in education and women empowerment, she writes opinion pieces for local and international outlets and delivers speeches. Her op-eds have been published in international outlets such as Foreign Policy and The Diplomat. She has talked at Oxford University, Rice University, Arkansas University, United Nations headquarter in New York, and has been the keynote speaker along with people like Michelle Obama.

Before this, she was working with UNDP, World Bank, and DFID. As a program manager at DFID Afghanistan, she managed grants for nonprofits that primarily focused on women empowerment, human rights, justice, media, and political accountability, the same areas she wants to promote.

Aurore Saccagi and Morane Verhoeven, two research analysts from the Centre for Youth and International Studies’ (CYIS) Humanitarian Dimension, interview this wonderful and inspiring woman as part of a podcast series on the Afghan Peace talks. This podcast was recorded in February 2021 and is the third and last episode of the Series.  

"Over 585 thousands Covid-related deaths, a struggling economy and falling approval ratings – Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro is currently facing his biggest political crisis ever since coming to power in 2018.
To discuss the current state of Brazilian politics, we are joined by Political Scientist Leonardo M. Barbosa. Leonardo Martins Barbosa is a researcher at the Observatory of the Brazilian Legislative (OLB) and one of the founders at Poliarco Intelligence, a think tank focused on providing analysis on the Brazilian institutions.
Bernardo Kaiser, a researcher from the Center of Youth and International Studies (CYIS) Americas team, talks with Leonardo about Bolsonaro’s relationship with the military and the Congress, his perspectives for the 2022 elections and what a potential impeachment process could mean for the health of Brazilian democracy."

For this second episode, let's embark for an interesting talk with Morane Verhoeven our research analyst and Ms. Negina Yari. Negina Yari is a civil society activist Education and Peace expert, who leads the Afghans 4 Tomorrow as an Executive Director. Further, she is facilitator of Afghanistan Peace House which advocates for women’s participation in peace negotiation, women empowerment, gender and education in Afghanistan.

Fawzia Koofi is an Afghan politician who, for the past few years, has been one of the few women in peace talks with the Taliban. Ms. Koofi is an active figure in the field of women’s rights in Afghanistan. She has played an active role in the enactment of protective laws for women and children, particularly the Law on the Elimination of Violence against Women and the Law on the Protection of Children in Afghanistan. For her advocacy of human rights and women's rights, Ms. Koofi has been awarded the "Emerging World Leader" title by the World Economic Forum and "50 Women with Bold Thought" by the Atlantic Council.

Aurore Saccagi and Morane Verhoeven, two research analysts from the Centre for Youth and International Studies’ (CYIS) Humanitarian Dimension, interview this wonderful and inspiring woman as part of a podcast series on the Afghan Peace talks. We talk about how she experienced multiple barriers as a girl in Afghanistan, why she got into politics, and how women’s participation in politics is an essential keystone for sustainable peace in a country that has been torn apart by war for over four decades.