Safaath Ahmed Zahir

Safaath Ahmed Zahir is a Maldivian women’s rights advocate, globally recognized for her work on women’s empowerment and civic leadership. With over 11 years of experience, she is the Co-Founder and Executive President of Women & Democracy (W&D), a leading women’s rights NGO in the Maldives.

W&D has directly benefited over 12,000 women through programs in political participation, domestic violence support, civic education, and economic empowerment. The organization operates through coordinators in all 20 geographic atolls and is widely respected as a leading grassroots movement.

Zahir is one of the most internationally decorated civil society leaders from the Maldives, with honors including the Queen’s Young Leader Award, UN Young Leader, Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia (in 2017), and AACSB Influential Leader Award.

Biography Ahmed was born and raised in Addu City, Maldives. She has a degree in banking and finance from Monash University's Malaysian campus in Subang Jaya, as well as a master's degree in finance and investment from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. She worked for a time as a financial consultant.

In 2016, Ahmed established Women and Democracy, a non-governmental organisation that expanded on the scope of Women on Boards by aiming to increase female representation in policy and decision making, including within the political sphere. It also supported female victims of domestic abuse by establishing a helpline and providing counselling services. Through Women and Democracy, Ahmed completed political empowerment workshops on all 20 Maldivian atolls.

In 2017, Forbes named Ahmed as among its 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs in Asia.

Zahir is an ardent supporter of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and is active in its political activities, frequently attending party rallies. In 2019, Ahmed announced her candidacy to serve as president of the Maldivian Democratic Party's women's wing; she ultimately placed second to Rozaina Adam.

On 22 August, the President of the Maldives, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, announced that Ahmed would be joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a communication strategist, having previously worked as an assistant director in the President's Office.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in the Maldives from 2020, Ahmed led a campaign to provide menstrual products to female emergency workers and volunteers, as well as to quarantined and isolated women during lockdowns.

In 2024, she contested in that year's parliamentary election from the capital Malé, placing second in a competitive race, and was noted for breaking ground in the country’s male-dominated political landscape.

In 2025, the Asia Society named Ahmed as one of that year's Next Generation Fellows, marking the first time a Maldivian had been selected.

Zahir presently served as a board member of the Give to Africa charity.