Ramiz Bakhtiar

Founder and Director, Peace in Our Schools

Ramiz Bakhtiar is a youth activist, peacebuilder and refugee in Canada. He is the visionary leader behind award-winning program, 'Peace in Our Schools.' Over the past decade, Ramiz has been actively engaged in numerous youth leadership programs, including the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Young Leaders Forum, One Young World Peace Ambassador, and the Swedish Institute Leader Lab program, among others.

In 2018, Ramiz made history by being elected as Afghanistan’s first Youth Representative to the United Nations. This role provided him with unique opportunities, including speaking at the United Nations Security Council and the UN General Assembly.

Through 'Peace in Our Schools,' Ramiz collaborates with schoolchildren and young adults, imparting peacebuilding and conflict-resolution techniques while fostering openness, coexistence, and interfaith friendship. To date, Ramiz and his team has directly worked with thousands of young people in Afghanistan, Canada, Georgia, Bosnia and Indonesia, and have organized peacebuilding workshops in 10 schools across different countries.

A sought-after speaker, Ramiz frequently contributes to conferences, events, and roundtables, emphasizing the crucial role of youth in decision-making processes, local peacebuilding, and the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goal 16.