Khouloud Ben Mansour

Fueled by her dedication to Gender Equality and Diplomatic Relations, Khouloud Ben Mansour is an activist dedicated to advocating for women and children’s rights in Tunisia. She holds a BA in Chemical Sciences and was the recipient of a U.S. State Department scholarship to study Leadership & Conflict Resolution at Cal State. Khouloud was recognized for her activism through multiple awards now works with several INGOs; She is a UNDP SDG Camp Alumna, and a UN Women Peace Builder/Mediator. Khouloud is recently appointed as the African Youth Ambassador for Peace with the African Union for North Africa.

Since I was introduced to the Civic Engagement world, I had the honor of attending simulations of the United Nations, which I have used extensively to develop my professional and soft skills; such as North Africa International Model United Nations. Then as Chair of the Climate Change and Environmental Protection Committee in Morocco, during this experience I had the opportunity to train delegates on United Nations procedures, assess their progress in diplomatic discourse, and evaluate their resolutions. To advocate more for the Sustainable Goals in Tunisia, I was selected in the SDGs Camp, a UNDP program that supports innovative ideas of youth projects in which my project won Third place.

One of the highlights of my journey is becoming a MEPI Student Leaders Program Alumna, which is the Middle East Partnership Initiative Program. I graduated from California State University with a diploma in Civic Engagement and Conflict Resolution. During this experience, I had showcased my passion and my devotion for advocacy and for supporting goal #4 (Quality Education) and developed a Community Engagement Plan that supports access to Education in Rural Areas in Tunisia.

My dedication to Human Rights and SDGs has made my journey so far enriching and very fruitful. I am now working as a Co-Chair for the Youth Against Slavery Movement which advocates the role of youth in eliminating modern slavery and supports the Human Rights global entities. I am also a Committee Coordinator for the African Youth Movement and supporting the Advocacy Guideline for IREX and USAID (our partners in the Movement) for their Youth Excel Program.

Recently, I have been developing my knowledge on the UNSCR 1325 and the role of Gender in the implementation of the peace agenda. This work and passion were rewarded by my acceptance in the Young Women PeaceBuilders Program by the UN Women Office of the Arab States.