Alumni Spotlight

OSCE AiB alumna Hafasa Issa: ‘My OSCE Academy experience shaped me as a person and a leader’

9 June, 2020

Hafasa Issa is a graduate from Afghanistan of the MA Programme in Politics and Security of the OSCE Academy. Her experience at the OSCE Academy has significantly shaped who she is as an individual and has also prepared her to work in the very complex situation of Afghanistan. The academic environment and the curriculum offered at the OSCE Academy were crucial in broadening her knowledge and developing her analytical skills which, according to her own story, allows her to realize the problems and make decisions today.

After graduating in 2013, Hafasa returned to Afghanistan to work for a national NGO and to support her local community in promoting gender equality and women’s rights. Her experience with Central Asian fellows and the knowledge gained at the OSCE Academy furthered her ability to become an agent of change in her local community.

Hafasa also worked with several international organizations in Afghanistan to promote good governance, sustainable development, and gender equality. Working for different organizations has taught her that gender equality is crucial to bring about sustainable and lasting change in any field and she is super committed to gender equality and, thus continually expanding her skillset on this issue to improve the efficacy and impact of the programmes that her work concentrates on.

Currently, Hafasa is working for the UN as a Human Rights Officer in Afghanistan. She manages gender equality and women’s rights in her office. In particular, she actively engages with women at the community level to improve their formal access to justice. She also works with government first responders on the elimination of violence against women to build their capacity to hold perpetrators of violence accountable. Additionally, she monitors other human rights violations occurring in the unpredictable and complex environment to ensure the protection and promotion of human rights in Afghanistan.

The OSCE Academy in Bishkek is proud of Hafasa's achievements and is pleased to see its alumna accomplishing great things!

full-news

Back to list

Print version

X