Farida Darvish

Farida Darvish is an Afghan women's rights advocate and former civil servant. Her work has spanned civil society, women's empowerment, and diplomacy. From 2014 to 2021, she held several senior roles in the Afghan government. She started at the Office of the President as a Civil Society Engagement Expert, working to bridge government institutions and civil society organizations. She then led the Women Empowerment Directorate at the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission, a role focused on getting more women into the civil service, improving conditions for those already in it, and pushing toward the government's target of 30 percent female representation across a workforce of 400,000. Her last government post was at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where as Head of Desk she handled Afghanistan's bilateral relations with a number of neighboring countries. Since the fall of the republic in 2021, she has drawn on her background in civil society, women's empowerment, and international engagement to speak for the rights of Afghan women and girls. She writes and takes part in forums, keeping attention on what Afghan women are living through under Taliban rule. She is married and the mother of three children.