The 2026 Chatham House Prize has been awarded to the women of Afghanistan, recognising their courage, resilience and determination in the face of systematic gender persecution.
The Prize is awarded annually by Chatham House to the person or organisation judged to have made the most significant contribution to improving international relations in the previous year. That it has gone collectively to Afghan women is a notable recognition of a struggle that has continued for five years largely without the international attention it warrants.
What the Prize recognises
From women defending human rights and delivering education under the most difficult conditions, to those building organisations, supporting communities and raising their voices internationally, Afghan women have shown that even the harshest restrictions cannot extinguish their aspirations for freedom, dignity and equality.
This is work carried out at genuine personal risk: underground schools operating where girls’ education is banned, documentation of violations gathered by journalists working under pseudonyms, legal aid delivered to women who have no other recourse, and psychosocial support provided to survivors in a country where the protection system has been dismantled.
The Prize recognises something important: that Afghan women are not simply victims of oppression. They are leaders, changemakers and indispensable architects of Afghanistan’s future.
HAMRAH members at the ceremony
HAMRAH Network is particularly proud that two of our members, Dr Orzala Nemat and Benafsha Yaqoobi, were part of this historic occasion, contributing to the panel discussion and bringing the voices, experience and leadership of Afghan women inside the country to the international stage.
Having members of our network on that platform, speaking from direct knowledge of conditions on the ground, is precisely the kind of representation HAMRAH exists to enable.
Why this affirms our work
The award reflects what HAMRAH was established to do: build the civic resilience of Afghan organisations, particularly those led by women, so they can hold the line and continue delivering protection and services to marginalised communities inside Afghanistan.
What comes next
Recognition is important. However, Afghan women need the infrastructure to sustain their work: financial resources, technical support, partnership and connection. This prize certainly raises visibility.
Congratulations to the women of Afghanistan. This recognition belongs to them, and we are proud to support them.
Read more about the 2026 Chatham House Prize: lnkd.in/eXEh56Pq
