Afghanistan faces enormous challenges over the coming years, but one thing is abundantly clear – Afghanistan cannot succeed without a pipeline of civic-minded, educated, and motivated next generation leaders to help build the country’s future.

Asia Society believes that investing in cross-sectoral networks of next generation leaders can prepare the foundation for a better future in Afghanistan and across the Asia-Pacific region.

In this regard, Asia Society has established the Afghanistan 21 Young Leaders Initiative (AYLI) to help nurture a community of next generation Afghan leaders who will educate each other and expand Afghan dialogue on leadership issues, organize leadership training workshops in Afghan universities, and participate in media outreach activities designed to highlight outstanding next generation leadership in Afghanistan. AYLI will exist under the broader Asia Society Asia 21 Young Leaders Initiative umbrella. Members of AYLI will comprise select young leaders aged 40 and under from across Afghanistan, to include men and women from various sectors (government, business, civil society, academic, religious and military communities.)

Asia Society launched the Asia 21 Young Leaders Initiative in 2006 to develop next generation leaders across the Asia-Pacific region. In five years, Asia 21 has become the leading next generation network in the Asia-Pacific, with over seven hundred active members from 30 countries and economies and across all sectors.

As part of their one-year term as young leaders, AYLI members will:

• Attend the annual Afghan 21 Forum meeting consisting of AYLI members and the Afghan Asia 21 Leadership Group;
• Join monthly meetings to discuss key challenges facing Afghanistan and how next generation leaders can work together to address them;
• Jointly develop a next generation leadership workshop curriculum that would be implemented through monthly leadership development workshops for Afghan university-age students;
• Work with a media consultant to implement a broad media outreach strategy on the challenges of leadership for Afghanistan that also highlights the profiles and work of Asia 21 Afghan Leaders
• Be connected to Asia 21 sector groups which link leaders from across Asia within particular sectors (media, government, business, etc.)