Hajer Sharief

Hajer Sharief (1994) is a Libyan peace and human rights activist. She co-leads the work of the Together We Build It (TWBI) organization in Libya. In 2011 and at the age of 19, Sharief co-founded TWBI to build peace in Libya and promote human rights. She is one of UN Women's 12 Champions on Women, Peace and Security, and Human Rights; and a member of the Extremely Together young leaders initiative, begun by Kofi Annan and the Kofi Annan Foundation. In 2020, Forbes named Sharief as one of "Africa's 50 Most Powerful Women", and she was listed by Avanec Media among their "100 Most Influential African Women" for 2020. A winner of the Student Peace Prize in 2017, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019.

Quotes

 * And then once it hits home, you realize that, no, it's not. It's not necessarily something wrong with the people or the location or the country per se. It's actually something that anyone can suffer from, even those perhaps listening to us right now thinking that they will never live a war. I think no one knows. And that's why it is important for even ordinary people to to get interested in peace.
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 * Peacebuilding is not only about stopping violence, it is also about the prevention of violence. To do so, all groups, all voices and perspectives in the society have to be considered. Young people, particularly girls, in the Middle East and North Africa constitute a large percentage of the population, so their role in peacebuilding is very important.
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 * Together we build it.
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 * Much more is needed. Including; facilitating a serious nation-wide dialogue that will include the voices of ordinary people, ppl affected by the multiple wars, women, and young people. This dialogue should be an official part of any formal political talks
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 * “Peace is a public good, so everyone should have the right to enjoying, building, making, and shaping peace.”
 * Countering violent extremism should not be looked at as only putting an end to something negative; it’s also about empowering positive peace.