Speaker Information

Panel Discussion 1

Panelists

Zahra’ Langhi

  • Senior Advisor on Inclusion and Women, Peace and Security, Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen (OSESGY)

Zahra’ Langhi is the Senior Inclusion Advisor at the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen. An international expert in peacebuilding, mediation, the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, and the prevention of violent extremism, she has made significant contributions to advancing WPS both globally and regionally. She is the architect of the Strategy and Executive Action Plan of the Arab Network of Women Mediators, unanimously adopted by the League of Arab States at the 2020 Ministerial Summit. Langhi also developed the Strategic Framework of the Committee for the Protection of Women in Armed Conflict, an instrument of the League of Arab States that underscores member states' commitments to the WPS agenda.

Langhi herself was part of the "days of rage" movement, which played a key role in toppling Gaddafi. However, Libya’s subsequent elections, despite introducing the "zipper ballot" to ensure gender balance, fell back into the familiar patterns of dominance and exclusion. Believing that Libya’s future lies in collaboration rather than competition, and compassion rather than rage, she co-founded the Libyan Women’s Platform for Peace (LWPP) with 34 other women, advocating for women’s inclusion in the democratic transition. Their efforts secured 16.5% representation for women in Libya’s first elections—an important milestone but, as Langhi realized, not enough. True empowerment requires qualitative representation, rooted in meaningful participation, protection, and agency.

Langhi’s work has placed her at the center of the Libyan peace processes over the past 13 years, including as a member of the UN-facilitated Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (Track I Peace Process in Libya), where she was among 18 women participating in Track I—a groundbreaking achievement in the Arab world. Since then, she has engaged regionally and internationally in shaping inclusive, people-centered peace, ensuring equal and meaningful participation of women.

Her achievements have been internationally recognized, including being named one of "Seven Women to Watch in Global Politics" by The Guardian, as well as honors from the Rockefeller Foundation and ATHENA40 for her transformative work in peacemaking and women’s empowerment. She also gave a TED Talk titled "Why Libya's Revolution Didn’t Work — and What Might", reflecting on the lessons learned from Libya’s political struggles.

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