First ever African Union Special Envoy on Youth
UN Global Champion on Conflict Related Sexual Violence

Aya Chebbi is a Pan-African feminist committed to the liberation of African women and girls. She rose to prominence as a voice for democracy during 2010/2011 Tunisia’s Revolution, which toppled a twenty-three-year dictatorship. She then served as the first ever African Union (AU)Special Envoy on Youth and the youngest diplomat at the Chairperson’s Cabinet (2018 – 2021)where she impacted over one million youth. She was currently appointed United Nations Global Champion on Conflict Related Sexual Violence and Youth Liaison to the Office of Special Representative and Under Secretary General (SRSG) Ms. Pramila Patten.

In her role as AU Youth Envoy, she is known for pioneering the concept of ‘Intergenerational Co-leadership’–a generational approach to empower young people to occupy political leadership. She met and advocated to over 50Heads of State and Governments on the youth agenda in Africa and the diaspora which resulted in policy changes continentally and increase in youth appointments nationally. She has mobilized the Youth Silencing the Guns Campaign, which has become African Union’s largest youth campaign and main platform on Youth, Peace and Security agenda including the adoption by AU Peace and Security Council of the premier Continental Framework for Youth, Peace and Security. She engaged millions of young people during COVID-19 pandemic, documented in the Africa Youth Lead Policy Paper. (Read End Of Mandate Reflections)

She served on the World Refugee Council, Oxfam Independent Commission on Sexual Misconduct, Robert Bosch Stiftung Advisory, WHO Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, Council of the Africa Public Health Foundation among others which produced trailblazing reports in the humanitarian, gender and development fields. She is a member of BMW Responsible Leaders Hub, Rockefeller Bellagio fellows, Obama Leaders and Carter Center Elections Observers. She holds BA in International Relations from University of Tunis El Manar and MA in African Politics from SOAS , University of London. She was a Fulbright scholar at Georgia Southern University and took peacebuilding and leadership courses at Tufts and Columbia Universities. Aya is currently Founder & President of Nala Feminist Collective(Nalafem), Africa’s largest multigenerational platform of women politicians and activists spearheading transformative feminist leadership. She received the 2019 Bill and Melinda Gates Campaign Award, 2024Global Leadership Award from Vital Voices and was named in Forbes Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women.

Aya is also a podcaster and hosts a popular podcast called “I AM NALA”. She also runs her own brand Chebbi House which provides coaching and online leadership courses and sells Afro Clothing in Tunisia and Kenya.