Ms. Metra Mehran is a Gender and Policy Advisor for the Strategic Litigation Project at the Atlantic Council. She is a gender equity and human rights activist and practitioner with a decade of work experience focused on international development, peace and gender equality. Throughout her career, Ms. Mehran has played a pivotal role in providing strategic counsel, leading impactful programs and conducting research for organizations such as the United Nations, the World Bank, the UK Department for International Development, New York University and USAID. Ms. Mehran also co-founded the Feminine Perspectives Movement, offering a platform for women across Afghanistan to advocate for their fundamental rights during the intra-Afghan peace negotiations. Following the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Ms. Mehran has monitored Taliban efforts curtailing women’s rights while mobilizing international action and participating in legal advocacy initiatives. Ms. Mehran’s impact extends beyond advocacy efforts, and she has written for international outlets such as CNN, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Al Jazeera and BBC. In recognition of her human rights work, Ms. Mehran was named a finalist for the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2021. In February 2024, Ms. Mehran participated in the UN-convened meeting of Special Envoys and Special Representatives on Afghanistan in Doha. Ms. Mehran holds a Master of Public Policy Analysis from Texas A&M University (2018).