Aya Chebbi has widely mobilized young women resulting in groundbreaking political document, Africa Young Women Beijing+25 Manifesto (AYMB+25 Manifesto) and established the first of its kind Nala Feminist Collective bringing together African feminists in politics and activism.
The AYMB+25 Manifesto was developed under her mandate as the first African Union Special Envoy on Youth. Under her office, she convened five Regional Barazas with over 1,500 young people from across 44 African countries and over 30 partners in October 2020. She then handed over the Manifesto during High-Level Intergenerational Dialogue on 25 November 2020, to Amb. Delphine O (Secretary General of the Generation Equality Forum), H.E. Bineta Diop (African Union Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security), and Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngucka (Executive Director of UN Women). She then led a mobilization campaign between April and June 2021 advocating for African feminist’s voices at the Generation Equality Forums (GEF) and the Action Coalitions which led to collecting 10,360 signatures of the Manifesto from over 105 countries. Her efforts in collaboration with partners and youth activists succeeded to include 8 out of the 10 demands into Action Coalitions and Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action Compact.
Aya Chebbi, is a Pan-African feminist and diplomat whose mission is the liberation of African women and girls. She rose to prominence as a voice for democracy during 2010/2011 Tunisia’s Revolution, which toppled a twenty-three-year dictatorship. She has impacted over one million young people while she served as the first ever African Union Special Envoy on Youth and the youngest diplomat at the Chairperson’s Cabinet (2018 – 2021). She holds Bachelors in International Relations from University of Tunis El Manar and Masters in African Politics from SOAS, University of London. She also served on the World Refugee Council, WHO Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, Progressive International Council, Oxfam Independent Commission on Sexual Misconduct, among others which produced trailblazing reports in the humanitarian, gender and development fields. She received the Gates Campaign Award and was named in Forbes Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women.
