Symposium in Celebration of the Career and Legacy of Mahnaz Afkhami

A New Architecture for Human Rights: Politics, Activism, and the Global Women’s Movement

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

9:30 am – 10:00 am Check-In/Light Breakfast

10:00 am – 3:00 pm Panels with Lunch

3:00 pm – 3:30 pm Closing Remarks

Georgetown University has recently received the exceptional gift of the Afkhami Collection, a donation of the papers of activist and author Mahnaz Afkhami and her late husband, scholar Gholam Reza Afkhami. The vast collection of primary source documents, oral histories, books, photographs, papers, and reports–many previously unreleased–are an irreplaceable chronicle of pre-Revolutionary Iran and of the vibrant global women’s movement. In honor of Afkhami’s 50+ year career dedicated to advancing women’s rights, and to celebrate the gift of her papers, the Georgetown University Libraries and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security will convene activists, scholars, and policymakers from around the world to discuss lessons from the past and implications for the future of the global fight for equality.

Featured Speakers Include:

The Honorable Mary Robinson Virtual attendance, Former President of Ireland, Former United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights,Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders, Founder of the Mary Robinson Foundation-Climate Justice

Christiane Amanpour Virtual attendance, Chief International Anchor for CNN and host of CNN’s International program–Amanpour

Mahnaz Afkhami, Founder and President Emerita, Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace and Former Iranian Minister of State for Women’s Affairs

Azar Nafisi, Writer and Educator, Author of Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books

Karima Bennoune, Lewis M. Simes Professor of Law at the University of Michigan; Former UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights

Shahla Haeri, Professor of Anthropology and former Director of the Women’s Studies Program at Boston University

Sanam Anderlini, Author, Founder and Executive Director of International Civil Society Action Network, Peace and Strategist and Consultant to the UN

Habiba Sarabi, Former IRA Peace Negotiation Team, former Deputy Chair of Afghanistan High Peace Council, former Bamyan Governor

Nadereh Chamlou, Member of Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace Board of Directors, former Senior Advisor to the Chief Economist of MENA, The World Bank, and International Development Advisor

Madhavi Sunder, Frank Sherry Professor of Intellectual Property Law at Georgetown University Law Center; Board Chair for the Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace

Kelly J. Shannon, Historian, Educator and Consultant, Visiting Scholar at Institute for Middle East Studies, George Washington University; former Associate Professor of History at Florida Atlantic University and Director of the Center for Peace, Justice, and Human Rights

Melanne Verveer, Executive Director, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace & Security