MEET THE UN’S YOUNG LEADERS RESHAPING OUR WORLD
Image: Cassandra A. Tindal, CEO of IMAG Media Inc., Editor-in-Chief of Womenz Straight Talk Magazine, and Founder of OMNI 5 Media Alliance.
Womenz Straight Talk_Magazine - Special Edition 2025.
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IMAGE: United Nations tour guide Silmara Roman takes visitors on the Focus on Women tour at the UN Headquarters. This tour highlights the women who have shaped the UN and it examines key achievements, ongoing global challenges related to gender equality and the need to empower women worldwide.
The Future Is Female, and It’s Officially Here: Meet The UN’s Young Leaders Reshaping Our world
NEW YORK – In a powerful move that signals a seismic shift in global leadership, the United Nations has unveiled its 2025 cohort of Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But this announcement is more than just a list of honorees; it’s a declaration that the architects of a better tomorrow are already at work, and they are overwhelmingly young, bold, and female.
Announced on UN Day by the newly established United Nations Youth Office, this fifth cohort of 17 changemakers, selected from a staggering 33,000 applicants across 150 countries, represents a vanguard of innovation and activism. They are the first to be ushered in under this new office, a symbol of the UN's deepening commitment to handing the mic to the generation with the most at stake.
“The 2025 cohort… is a powerful testament to the courage, creativity and commitment of young people driving real change in every corner of the world,” said Felipe Paullier, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs. “They are not just responding to today’s global challenges—they are actively reshaping the future.”
A closer look at the list reveals a compelling narrative for our readers: the faces of this future are diverse, but the drive to uplift, heal, and empower is a common thread. These women are not waiting for permission; they are building, founding, and advocating from the front lines.
From the Front Lines to the World Stage
The cohort is a masterclass in modern, intersectional leadership. Consider Nila Ibrahimi, an 18-year-old Afghan refugee based in Canada, who has already co-founded and now presides over Her Story, turning her own displacement into a platform to champion girls' education.
Or Tanatswa Amanda Chikaura from Zimbabwe, a 26-year-old mental health advocate whose Ndinewe Foundation is breaking stigmas and building support systems in her community. In North Macedonia, Teodora Mileska, 25, is tackling period poverty and advancing gender equality as a feminist educator and co-founder of PERIOD Skopje.
Their work spans every critical arena. In Cambodia, Panha Theng, 30, uses storytelling as a weapon for justice as a co-founder of Sampi TV, amplifying the voices of the LGBTIQ+ community. From the sands of Saudi Arabia, Sahira Al Nahari, 28, merges art and medicine as a physician and founder of Shifā Art, proving that healing requires both science and soul.
The scope of their ambition is literally astronomical. Sahba El-Shawa, 32, of Jordan/Palestine, is a space and sustainability researcher founding institutes to ensure the Arab world has a seat at the table in the final frontier.
A Legacy of Courage and a Blueprint for Action
These leaders remind us that courage comes in many forms. There is the quiet resilience of Suzuka Nakamura, 25, a third-generation Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor) from Japan, who founded Know Nukes Tokyo to ensure the horrors of nuclear weapons are never forgotten. And there is the powerful voice of Nigeria’s Hafsat (Havfy) Abdullahi, 25, a multi-award-winning performance poet who uses her art to speak truth to power.
Image: Nila Ibrahimi, co founded HerStory, a platform amplifying the voices of Afghan girls through storytelling to drive connection and change.
From Aishworya Shrestha’s social work in Nepal to Dikatauna Kwa’s marine conservation in Papua New Guinea and Mariam Solika’s community-focused enterprise in Egypt, these women are a living blueprint for what it means to lead with purpose.
They are not just being recognized; they are being enlisted. At a time of deep global division, the UN is betting on their unity, their action, and their unyielding hope. For the readers of Women Straight Talk, this list is more than an inspiration—it’s a call to action. It’s proof that the tools for change are in our hands, and the future, finally, is taking shape in their image.
The full list of the 17 Young Leaders for the SDGs can be found on the United Nations Youth Office website.
Advocate for Girls' Education; Co-founder and President of Her Story Nila Ibrahimi, 18, Canadian
An Afghan refugee now in Canada, Nila is a powerful advocate for girls' education. At just 13, she led a viral campaign that overturned a ban preventing Afghan girls from singing in public. After fleeing the Taliban, she co-founded HerStory, a platform amplifying the voices of Afghan girls through storytelling to drive connection and change. Her global activism has been recognized with the International Children’s Peace Prize.
Image: Tanatswa Amanda Chhikaura, dedicated to youth empowerment and advocacy.
Mental Health Advocate & Founder of Ndinewe Foundation
Tanatswa Amanda Chikaura, 26, Zimbabwe
Tanatswa is a PhD researcher at the University of Cambridge. Her research interests are centered on autism, mental health and suicide prevention. Prior to beginning her PhD, Tanatswa completed an MPhil in Basic and Translational Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge and a BSc Honours in Psychology from the University of Zimbabwe.
In addition to her academic pursuits, Tanatswa is the Founder and Director of Ndinewe Foundation, a mental health organization in Zimbabwe. Her work in mental health has been recognized through the Diana Award, which is given to young people for their social action or humanitarian efforts. The award is in memory of Princess Diana and is administered by the charity of the same name.
Tanatswa has worked with local and international organizations that focus on youth empowerment, young people's mental health, and research, providing comprehensive advocacy and research to ensure mental health is given priority.
Panha Theng, Storyteller, LGBTIQ + Activist & Co-Founder of Sampi TV.
Storyteller, LGBTIQ+ Activist & Co-Founder of Sampi TV, Panha Theng, 30, Cambodian
Panha (Max) is a Cambodian storyteller and communications consultant passionate about using media to spark empathy and social change. She co-founded Sampi TV and 606 Digital, platforms that tell honest, character-driven stories about identity, gender and community. Her work explores how creativity and conversation can shift perspectives and create a more inclusive society.
As a Communication Consultant with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), she helps bring forward stories of movement, belonging and resilience. Panha believes storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to connect local realities with global goals, and she continues to use film and communication as tools for dialogue, understanding and impact.
The full list of the 17 Young Leaders for the SDGs can be found on the United Nations Youth Office website.
By Cassandra A. Tindal, Editor-in-Chief, [Women Straight Talk]
As we turn the page on these profiles of courage, a single, undeniable truth comes into focus: the future is not something we are passively waiting for—it is being built, right now, by women who refused to look away.
The stories of Nila, Tanatswa, Sahira, and their fellow Young Leaders are more than just inspiring; they are a masterclass in modern leadership. They teach us that you can be a scientist and a storyteller, a physician and an artist, a refugee and a global representative. They prove that expertise is not confined to boardrooms, and that the most powerful advocacy is often born from personal experience.
In a world that often tells young women to wait their turn, these leaders have audaciously created their own tables. They are not asking for a seat; they are building entirely new structures—from marine sanctuaries to mental health foundations, from space institutes to grassroots movements for peace.
So, let this article be more than just a read. Let it be a mirror. Let it remind us that the "power to shape our world" is not a vague, political slogan. It is the power to found an organization, to lead a campaign, to use your voice in a room that has never heard someone like you speak before. It is the power that each of us holds in our own hands, in our own communities.
The United Nations has given these 17 young leaders a platform, but their authority comes from their action. They are the living, breathing answer to the question, "What can one person do?"
They have shown us the answer: Everything.
The future is indeed female. And as these leaders demonstrate, it is compassionate, it is brilliant, and it is unapologetically here. Our task is to ensure we are brave enough to follow their lead.