Enayat Najafizada (Class of 2019)

Enayat Najafizada is the Founder and CEO of Institute of War and Peace Studies, a non-profit think tank based in Kabul with a focus on military strategy and security. Previously, Enayat served as a Senior Policy Advisor at Independent Directorate of Local Governance for nearly five years. During his tenure, Enayat and his team emphasised the importance of farsighted policies to ensure inclusive and non-discriminatory governance.

Enayat led a group of youth and civil society activists to initiate a peace dialogue process, with the support of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Martti Ahtisaari's Center. Enayat was driven by the objective of resolving local disputes and conflicts in rural areas through peaceful means. Enayat is also a co-founder of StratComm Focus Consulting Inc. based in Kabul. Before returning to serve his country, Enayat received a master's degree in Post-war Recovery Studies from the York University, UK. Enayat’s raison d'etre is to ensure better education and working and living conditions for all Afghans who were left behind.